I Hate Everything About You
by Jorden the Jynx
Summary: My first published fanfiction. Contains a character that I created, so this isn't a yaoi fanfiction. Sorry to spoil it for you. Rated M for later lemons. Previous title "False Pretense". R&R Please!
1. Chapter 1

_Keep running, _she screamed at herself. _For the love of god, keep running_!

She could only go so far. She was still another hour away from Konoha, her home. Her family, husband and son, were probably waiting for her in the garden, her young child chasing after butterflies and such. She couldn't wait to see them, but she had to get into the village gates before she could rest.

Her entire body was coated with sweat. Deep brown eyes scanned the area around her, but she could hardly focus. Her black hair highlighted red was damp and dirty. It was falling out of its ponytail to run down to her waist, but she didn't care.

The person who had been chasing her for three days straight was now hot on her heels. Her chakra was almost gone, and her entire body burned with exhaustion. She had wounds from his attacks in attempt to stun her, and she felt that they were becoming infected. She hadn't had time to heal them yet.

_You can do this_, she tried to concentrate. _If you can get away from him before, you know you can get away from him now_.

She felt him hovering above her. She dodged a kunai only to have another slice through her Jounin vest and into her shoulder blade. The impact sent her falling to the ground. Her attacker leapt onto her back, shoving her face into the dirt.

She felt him tug at her hair. Her eyes closed to hide her tears. Her exhausted body burned in agony.

"Did you really think that dying your hair would hide you from me?" he hissed. Familiar black tresses fell on either side of her. "I know you better than anyone, my _Haru_."

She growled into the dirt. Nothing disgusted her more than her name on his lips. Haru lifted her head weakly. She heard him chuckle as her body shook as she moved.

"You have no chakra left, my dear," he cooed. "You used it all trying to escape from me."

"Shut up," she barked. The new wound on her shoulder was in no pain compared to the pain in her old, infected ones. Three days, and she still couldn't escape, losing most of her chakra in the process. She was ashamed. How could she call herself a Shinobi when she couldn't even escape properly?

She felt a sensation run from her shoulder to her skull; she shrieked out in pain.

"Are you really so weak now?" her captor asked. "Under my care, you were getting so strong."

"I'm stronger than I've ever been!" she spat, feebly struggling against the man's weight.

He gingerly turned Haru over on her back. Her eyes, under the curtain of his hair, met his excited golden orbs. His thin lips were curled into almost a happy grin, and his pale skin shown even in the darkness that his hair surrounded them with.

"You don't look happy to see me," he growled.

Haru scoffed, "I was really, _really_ hoping you were dead."

Chills ran down her spine as he laughed. She grimaced. "I'm immortal, my _Ha-ru_," he purred. Her stomach twisted as he emphasized the syllables in her name.

"You should treat me with more respect," he continued. "Without me, after all, you would be dead."

"You used me for my Kekkei Genkai, you monster!"

He scowled at the word. "Haru, you know it wasn't like that for you. You were something much, much more."

Haru struggled with all her might. She tried pushing him off with her legs, with little success. He hardly even moved.

Her shirt rose up to her naval, revealing her toned stomach to the cool autumn air. The pale, golden-eyed man looked down and noticed faint stretch marks that stopped at her hips. He stared curiously for a moment, before leaning down, holding her wrists with a tight grip.

"Where did these come from?" he asked, his hot breath on her stomach. "Don't tell me you've gained some weight in these past years."

His long fingers intertwined in hers, and he stopped. Haru's heart skipped a beat. She felt his fingers twitching against her wedding band.

She thought of Sasuke, and their son, Ichirou (meaning "first son"). She knew that her son was waiting for her at home, and maybe Sasuke was home from his mission as well. If not, Haru knew that the nanny would be wanting a large tip when they arrived. She almost smiled. Now, if she could just get home to them alive, she would be content. She wasn't sure what the snake-shinobi wanted with her, but there was no way that it could be good.

"What the hell is this?" he hissed coldly. He sat up, taking her left hand in his with much force. Haru pulled away from him, only to have her hand caught again. He glared at her, focusing on her face as he removed her fingerless gloves, revealing the silver band, holding a single light-blue stone. Like water. After all, she was originally from the Village of Waves.

As his face twisted in anger, she saw his white and very sharp fangs. She gulped. This wasn't going to end well on her part. His grip relaxed on her. She used this to her advantage; she turned back over and quickly crawled out from under him, her muscles once again screaming.

Suddenly, he gripped her hair and pulled hard, she bent backwards, seeing him upside down. Her spine popped in a few places; her eyes brimmed with tears. She was on her knees, shaking, being held tight by the hair she felt ripping from her scalp under the man's grip. "O-O-Orochimaru," she breathed. "Let me go, this isn't your business."

He glared daggers at her. "Who is he, Haru?" he roared. "Who have you given yourself to?"

Haru closed her eyes. If she told him, it would only endanger Sasuke and Ichirou. She bit her lip.

"Tell me." His eyes were burning into her. She began to sob uncontrollably from the fear. She was so weak. She still feared him, after almost seven years after her escape. His eyes didn't soften from her tears. He pulled tighter, and her back popped again. The muscles in her stomach began to burn uncontrollably.

"Your protégée."

The words were barely a whisper. Orochimaru's eyes widened. He loosened his grip on her again, and he let her go. She bent back forward, panting heavily. If she didn't get home soon, she could die here. And deep inside, she knew that the snake-nin would let her die.

"How long have you been married?" he whispered.

"Three years," she answered quietly, crawling rather slowly toward the shadows. "We had a son; he's almost one now. After we got away from you, Konoha opened their arms to me. They've given me everything I've ever wanted."

Orochimaru screamed in agony and rage; he pulled out a kunai and threw it toward her, hitting her dead in the center of her hand. It didn't go all the way through, but it was enough to stop the kunuoichi dead in her tracks. Tears hit the grass below her. She bit her lip til she drew blood, keeping the sobs at bay.

"How dare you," he growled. "You were supposed to be saving yourself for me."

Her eyes widened. She turned to stare at the man, to see that he almost looked hurt. She could see the emotions on his face, contorted with confusion and anger. He seemed to have never had his feelings hurt before.

"I'm not like my brother," she snapped. "I won't throw my life away for some dick to use my powers to protect himself."

She hated speaking of Haku, her beautiful twin brother, in that way. But it was true, Zabuza had used him and didn't even realize he loved the boy until he was dead. Haru had loved her brother very much, but she had been kidnapped by Orochimaru at an early age, only allowing herself to see her brother every so often. She had been on her way to visit him to discover he was dead; she felt the dread in her heart that usually meant that Haku was in deep distress. Their twin telepathy had been very strong.

Orochimaru kicked her onto her side. She spat up blood, the impact had been so strong. Tears fell down her cheeks, blurring her vision. "You belong to _me_, you little bitch!" he shouted. "No one else can have you! Here I've been waiting for _twenty goddamn years_ for you to be ready, and yet you've given yourself to another man! And what's worse, the Uchiha boy!"

"I'm twenty five, goddamn it!" she shouted back. Her voice cracked. Somehow, it felt wrong to yell at him. Like she was committing blasphemy. "You kidnapped me when I was a child! There was no way that you were waiting that long for me! I have my whole life ahead of me!"

That's how she had felt when she escaped from him, and she convinced Sasuke to run with her when he led the Akatsuki. They both were under the impression that Orochimaru was gone forever. There wasn't a trace of his existence left when they came back to Konoha, to be greeted with open arms. Four years later, they were engaged. And then married. Last year her son was born, and everything was so peaceful. Up until this point.

He picked her up by the throat and threw her hard against a tree. She fell onto the ground, her entire body on fire. There was no adrenaline to fight back against him; she knew that he had won.

He hauled her up by her arms and stood her up. He still looked angry, but managed to smirk. "The only thing I want to do is take you with me," he whispered. "And I have the right mind to do so; they've turned you into something else here."

Her eyes narrowed. "They'll come for me," she spat at him. "I know that they will. I'm a Jounin. They won't just accept my disappearance. And they know I won't run; I'm too loyal for that."

Orochimaru's eyes narrowed as well. He knew it, too, and was going to go by impulses anyway.

Instead, he made Haru take a hard punch to the face, one that knocked her out almost instantly.

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><p>He'd thought of taking her right there, showing her what a <em>real <em>man was like, but he wouldn't do it. He had to be more in control of his emotions. She would willingly come to him eventually, but the only way she would was if he gave a very good reason to. He refused to use Genjutsu, as that would be no better than rape. He had more respect. He left her there; she would live, and when she got comfortable again, he would take her for himself, as he would have a plan by then.


	2. Chapter 2

A babbling baby boy stumbled through the house. His tiny footsteps echoed into the kitchen, and the toddler looked up to his father and smiled happily, giggling softly.

"Daddy," he shouted, throwing his arms toward his father excitedly. Sasuke raised an eyebrow and picked Ichirou up, kissing his son on the forehead. The child cooed and nuzzled softly into Sasuke's neck. He gazed out the window blankly, rocking the child slightly.

Haru was supposed to come home yesterday, the day after he had returned. There was no sign that she was even nearby. It almost worried him, but he knew that Haru was strong. Just like her brother had been, when he'd fought him only as a Genin.

Haru looked very much like Haku, but had a bolder look in her eyes. She wasn't very quiet, either, but rather outgoing and social. But that was what Sasuke loved about her. He'd loved her ever since he met her in Orochimaru's lair, in the Sound Village. She got him through everything, and in the end, after Itachi was dead, she convinced him to come back home to Konoha.

He looked around the large kitchen, and sighed. Somehow, she had convinced Sasuke to move back into the Uchiha estate after they got married. They spent a whole year cleaning up the place before trying for a child. And now, with his son in the world, the estate wasn't near as gloomy.

They had people who took care of the gardening, housework and such, as they were Shinobi and were very busy. Sasuke was now in the ANBU, as Haru was a Jounin who taught part-time at the Ninja Academy. They felt that they were truly happy; they each had friends, jobs they enjoyed, a beautiful dark-haired son, and a place to call their own.

He smiled down at the dozing toddler in his arms, and yawned. A nap did sound pretty good at this point.

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><p>She didn't know how long she'd been crawling in the woods, but she knew that she was badly injured. It seemed as though Orochimaru had beaten her to a pulp and left her there to die.<p>

She drug herself through the dirt, almost able to see the road leading to Konoha's gates. She was so exhausted, even though she'd woken up from a near eight-hour slumber. Her body was like lead; she barely managed to drag it through the forest.

She reached the road, but stopped before she could crawl into the baking sunlight. She could go no further. She lay in the shade, panting.

_At least it'll be nice and cool when I die_, she thought. She wished she could be buried beside Haku, but then, Sasuke would make sure that she was, even if it meant that he couldn't be buried beside her.

She was about to close her eyes when a familiar figure was slowly walking by, reading a book. She recognized the silver, spiked hair and green Jounin vest right away.

"Kakashi," she spat, blood dripping from her mouth, "please, tell Sasuke I love him."

Kakashi looked at her as her hand reached out. It hit the ground before the blackness surrounded her.

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><p>Sasuke was woken from the most pleasant dream by someone loudly knocking on the door. He heard the housekeeper's gasp of surprise after she answered it. He sat up, sleeping son in his arms. He looked over the couch to see Kakashi panting in the doorway.<p>

"Sasuke!" he exclaimed. His uncovered eye was wide with panic. "Haru is back!"

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "Then… where is she?" he questioned. He wanted to see his wife, not his former sensei.

"The infirmary," he stated bluntly. It was almost like he expected Sasuke to automatically know that that's what he meant.

Sasuke quickly called for the nanny, putting Ichirou in his crib. He kissed the toddler's forehead before sprinting out of the house to follow Kakashi.

Everything was busy at the infirmary. Sakura was busy cutting up medicinal herbs, not paying attention to Sasuke's questions. He wanted to know why everything was so chaotic. His wife's name was mumbled a few times among the medics, and shut up when he glared at them. "SAKURA!" he whispered harshly. "Where the hell is she?"

Sakura finally turned to him. Sweat dotted her forehead. "We're isolating Haru; she has many infected wounds that we don't want to accidentally spread."

Sasuke felt the color leave his face. He rushed from empty room to empty room, looking for the wife was so worried for.

Three medics were sterilizing Haru's wounds. She was unconscious, but pain was clearly in her face. He sighed.

Kakashi put his hand on Sasuke's shoulder. "She'll be fine," he said, "but she only spoke one sentence when I found her. She honestly thought she was going to die, I think."

Sasuke swallowed. "What did she say?" he asked. His hands balled into fists.

The silver-haired Shinobi shook his head. "Nothing that she doesn't tell you every day," he answered. "Haru is an amazing Shinobi, but you must admit that something is changing about her. She seems to be giving up more easily. I remember that she was as stubborn as a mule when you brought her home."

Sasuke let a small smile creep onto his face. He was right; Haru had been very stubborn when they came to Konoha. She was so determined to leave Orochimaru that it was scary. He didn't know the whole story; he just knew that Haru was taken from her twin, Haku, at five years old because of her Kekkei Genkai. He wasn't sure of what happened to her before they met, and she never did tell him. He just knew that when she wanted to live a normal life, she had to drag Sasuke with her.

Luckily, Naruto had been the Hokage when they came to Konoha, otherwise they probably wouldn't have been able to come. Naruto ranked them both as Chunin, and left it at that. They had to work their way up to the top from there, and made it to Jounin very easily.

"I don't think she's going to make it," a medic said quietly, glancing over at Sasuke. "These wounds haven't been treated for four days; she's obviously been sweating all over them."

"I'm surprised she's made it this far," the other whispered. "She has almost no chakra at all, and even though the wounds aren't at all deep, there are a great number of them and many are bleeding."

Sasuke's eyes darkened. The medics quickly left the room to get more medicine. He walked over and grabbed his wife's hand gently. Her skin was very warm. He looked at her face to see that her left eye was swollen, her lips dry and cracked, and her right cheek swollen and grey with bruises.

He stroked her finger softly, observing the silver band on her finger. He had taken great care when he'd bought it for her, and she'd almost cried when he got down on one knee at the Sakura festival. She had been wearing a colorful kimono with a white obi. Her makeup had been dark and her hair freshly dyed red. She'd cried when Sasuke smiled up at her deviously. There were so many people around clapping when he spun her around and kissed her when she accepted him.

Haru's face suddenly contorted to an expression of fear. She bit down on her lip, drawing blood. Sasuke touched her face, and said her name softly.

"O-O-O…. Orochimaru," she cried. "Don't touch me."

Her eyes suddenly opened. Her pupils dilated large and then needle-point small. A single tear fell down her bruised face. The curse mark on her shoulder began to pulse, and the seal Sasuke had placed broke with a tiny red flash and a quiet _pop_. Grey and red markings began to cover her entire body. Haru screamed.

Sasuke's eyes grew wide. Medics rushed inside, only to stop and look at the kunuoichi writhing in pain. Her hand tightened around Sasuke's, and he was unable to break away. It was like she had a grip of steel on him. Her body began to steam, and the wounds he could see began to lighten up, the infection beginning to disappear. The bruises didn't go away. Her back made a few snapping noises. Haru kept that expression frozen on her face, like she was screaming. Her lips quivered as the curse marks began to recede into her shoulder. The seal reappeared.

Haru relaxed on the cot she lay in. Her eyes closed halfway, and she looked up at her husband.

"I love you," she whispered. "Please, take me home."

Sasuke nodded and kissed the injured woman, the woman he loved, on the forehead. "I will," he whispered back. "And I love you, too. Now go to sleep."

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><p><em>She had just got her regrowth done on her hair. She thought it looked better that way, red, than just plain black. She also thought it was a good way to keep an enemy from recognizing her and starting a fight. The whole reason she came to Konoha was so that she could have a normal life. She was tired of all the violence she'd seen, and sometimes she liked to think that the violence was tired of seeing her. <em>

_She wore her favorite kimono just for the occasion of the Sakura Festival. It was many shades of blue in abstract swirls and designs, but with a few violet butterflies across it. It made her think of the home she was taken away from so early. _

_The kimono was given to her by Orochimaru, but she still loved it. And with her dark makeup and light lip gloss, it seemed to finish off her look. She wore her hair loosely up with two chopsticks that had little beads hanging off the top. Tonight was one of the many date nights with Sasuke. But tonight, somehow, felt different for her. _

_Sasuke walked her to the festival. He had a slight flush on his face the entire time. His kimono was dark blue, and he looked quite handsome in it. Haru held a blue and white fan for show; she didn't feel that she needed it. He wasn't talking much, but that was okay. He never had talked much with her, except when they were getting to know each other better. _

_They played a few games and ate some amazing sushi, and were walking around talking to people and friends. It was hard to believe that it had been four years, and now they had so many friends. Everything really was looking up for Haru and Sasuke. At least, that's what Haru always thought. She felt so lucky to have a village just open up to her despite her history and her former master. _

_Sasuke stopped her in the middle of the street, just as some nearby Shinobi were getting ready to light the fireworks. _

"_I have something to ask you."_

_Haru looked at him curiously then smiled. "You know you can ask me anything, Sasuke."_

_He smirked. He had a devious gleam in his onyx eyes. "You're going to be embarrassed."_

_She laughed. "It takes a lot to embarrass me, Uchiha."_

_Both of his eyebrows rose, and he reached into the pocket on the breast of his kimono. He pulled out a tiny black velvet box, and his smile got more devious by the second. _

_He got down on one knee. He opened the box to reveal a silver ring, holding inside eagle claws a single crystal-blue stone. _Like water_, she thought. _

"_Haru, we've been through a lot together," he began. "You pulled me out of a situation that I was never going to get out of. If it weren't for you, I could be dead, or there could be a world war waging right now." Haru noticed that people were staring. She blushed. Sasuke kept his smile on his face. "I want to be with you for the rest of my life. I never want you to leave my side. Whatever the cost of your love is, I'll gladly pay it. If I could, I would take over the world just to put it inside your hands. But to me, you're worth even more than that." He paused a moment to look up to see Haru crying. "Please. Marry me."_

_Her heart fluttered and rose into her throat. Her makeup was smearing. Everyone was looking at her, waiting for her to answer. She felt like she was on Cloud Nine; a warmth she'd never felt before filled her heart. As Sasuke rose, she threw her arms around his neck in a passionate embrace. _

"_Yes!" she exclaimed. "Oh, god, Sasuke, a million times yes!"_

_Fireworks began to shoot into the air. She felt Sasuke's smiling lips against her cheek, and he put his arms around her and began to spin her around. People were clapping, but she wasn't sure if it was because of the proposal or for the fireworks. _

_When he put her down, she kissed him with as much love and passion she could muster. He put his hands on either side of her face and gladly returned the kiss. _

_When she pulled away, her eyes widened. A grinning Orochimaru gazed at her, fireworks casting off behind him in the distance. He kept his hands on her. She looked around. Everyone was smiling, as if this monster wasn't even there. _

"_I've been waiting for you to kiss me like that," he hissed at her. His long, thick tongue came out to lick his lips. _

"_O-O-O…. Orochimaru," she gasped. Her heart was now in her gut. She trembled with fear. "Don't touch me."_

Suddenly, all was white, and then red, before darkening again. She screamed in pure agony. A single, red-hot tear fell, feeling as if it were burning away her skin. Her body burned, but not with exhaustion. It burned with a roaring power, coursing through her very veins, and she froze. The power made her quiver.

Everything was hot. When light came to her vision, she automatically knew that she was in Konoha. Her husband was looking at her with frightened eyes. She felt her spine crack and pop beneath her.

She finally relaxed. She looked at Sasuke with exhausted eyes.

"I love you," she breathed. "Please, take me home."

His eyes relaxed. He kissed her on her forehead. She suddenly felt very sore. "I will," he whispered in reply. "And I love you, too. Now go to sleep."

She closed her eyes. She snapped them back open once, seeing the golden eyes of the snake from her nightmare. But then she closed them again, and saw nothing. It was time to rest, she decided. She thought it was well deserved.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys! This is chapter three of "False Pretense". I hope that you guys are enjoying it so far. This chapter is a lemon, so please beware. I will soon post a citrus or two with our favorite Naruto villain :P Haha! Please R&R!**

**Disclaimer: Naruto isn't mine and the only character in this fanfiction that I own is Haru! **

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><p>A few weeks passed by before Haru was able to stop taking antibiotics and pain medicine. She had gotten three fractured ribs, and her spine was slightly twisted. Only a few of her cuts needed stitches. Sakura easily healed the rest. She chose to have many of them healed slowly. After her encounter with Orochimaru, she felt like lying low.<p>

Sasuke was curious, but he decided to wait before asking what happened to her. Besides her being home more, Haru acted like everything was normal. She smiled and laughed like she always did, spoiled their son, went grocery shopping, and still taught at the Academy…

Everything was normal. Haru was paranoid, though. She began to sleep with a shuriken underneath her pillow, as well as a kunai knife on her bedside table. She had nightmares of Orochimaru every night, of him stealing her away from her happy home.

"What happened that day?" Sasuke finally asked, looking over at his wife. She was reading a scroll on some kind of special sealing jutsu. Haru looked over at him with raised eyebrows. "You know, the day you were found outside the village."

She began to slowly roll the scroll back up. Sasuke waited patiently for her answer. She had a blank stare on her face.

"Orochimaru found me." Her statement was flat and monotone. "I tried running from him for three days straight, and he caught me in the end."

His eyes widened. Fury suddenly coursed through his veins. Orochimaru was supposed to be dead. He being alive put the entire world in danger.

"What did he do to you?" he asked slowly.

"You saw what he did to me," she answered, looking back at him. "He beat the shit out of me, and then just left me there."

"How did he catch you?"

"I was low on chakra as it was, Sasuke, and it just got worse whenever he appeared."

They both looked down to the comforter on their bed. Ichirou was sleeping soundly in his room across the hall; the baby monitor was on medium volume. Haru bit her lip. Sasuke's hands became fists. "What did he say to you?" he asked.

"Nothing." She made eye contact. Her eyes looked honest. He smiled at her.

"Is he going to come back?"

"I hope not."

He reached out and touched her face. She looked so beautiful to him. Her face wasn't swollen anymore, but still had a little discoloration. He leaned over and kissed her softly.

She returned the kiss, but with a more intense feel. She loved the way his skin felt on hers. She licked his bottom lip, asking gently for permission.

As he opened his mouth, they rolled over so that she was straddling his waist, her braless chest pressing against his. She let her hands wander over his smooth muscles. He pulled her hair roughly so that she lifted her head. He passionately let his lips, tongue, and teeth explore her neck and jaw line, his other hand stroking her arched back. He bit down hard on a very sensitive area of her neck, and Haru felt a flush across her cheeks.

"I want you," he groaned.

His hand reached down and squeezed her buttocks. She gasped slightly, and her black and red hair curtained them both. She gazed into his eyes, and saw the lust in his. It sent shivers down her spine. Sasuke was a very dominant lover. It made her entire body tingle when he told her what to do, or when he sometimes held her in place.

She was not one to enjoy being treated roughly, but somehow, Sasuke made her enjoy it.

She kissed his forehead as he rolled on top of her. He smiled as her hair surrounded her head like a dark halo. She smiled up at him happily, and he lifted her shirt over her head, revealing her large, luscious breasts. He admired her for a moment before reaching under Haru's pillow to grab her shuriken. He quietly cut the lace fabric of her underwear and threw them to the side, leaving her fully naked below him.

"You're so beautiful," he whispered slowly. He leaned down, holding her hands in his, to kiss down towards her chest from her lips. Haru moaned softly, feeling Sasuke's warm mouth close around her nipple. His fingertips slid from her hands, down her wrists and arms, to hold her sides tightly. He sucked hard on her, and she gasped slightly when she felt him nip with his teeth.

He released her breast with a quiet _pop_ and gazed up at her. "I love you," he whispered. Haru smiled at him.

"I love you, too." She brought him back up to kiss her. She could feel his member pressing against her, and she brought her hips up to touch his. Sasuke moaned slightly, and sat up to take off his boxers.

_Always to the point_, Haru thought with a silent laugh. Sasuke wasn't big on foreplay, either, but she thought that was okay. He was the only one she had ever had, so she thought nothing of it.

He took one of her legs and put it over his shoulder slowly, making sure this would not cause her any pain from her injuries. She complied, and Sasuke easily fit himself into her hot, wet entrance.

He groaned as she tightened around him. Sensations ran through Haru's body, and she reached up to put a hand on Sasuke's shoulder as he started to thrust into her, going softly at first, but speeding up and getting deeper by the minute.

"Sa-Sasuke!" Haru cried, arching her back. She gripped Sasuke's arms, moaning in ecstasy. He always knew how to do it, just right. He was of an average size, but his cock was long enough to hit that spot that drove Haru mad.

He flipped them over, putting Haru on top. He groped her breasts and kissed her passionately, exploring her mouth with his tongue.

"Ride me," he said quietly, his hands now on her hips. Haru sat up and complied, grinding into him at first, but soon rotating her hips and going up and down as if she had a rhythm in her head. Sasuke moaned, reaching up to touch Haru's naked body all over.

She tightened as she climaxed. She almost screamed his name. A deep flush covered her cheeks. He flipped them back over. Haru immediately bent over, like she was telling him how to fuck her.

Sasuke pushed himself deep into her, moaning with passion. He lifted her ass to look down at his cock thrusting in and out of her wet, silken folds. Haru gripped the sheets, biting her lip as she felt a coil wrap around her body. She moaned his name loudly, and backed up into him to take him in all the way.

Sasuke sped up to his maximum speed, now gripping his wife by the hips. He threw his head back as her walls contracted around him as he pulled out halfway. His cock was throbbing, almost satisfied as he reached down to tug on Haru's hair.

The coil inside of Haru grew tighter and tighter; her legs were shaking from the sheer lust and pleasure that was coursing through her entire body. She wanted to cum so bad that it almost hurt. She could barely breathe as Sasuke's hand caressed her back and her shoulder, and another reached around to stroke her throbbing clit. She arched her back, and the coil tightened more.

Sasuke growled as he felt his climax approaching. He flipped Haru back over on her back, lifting both of her legs onto his shoulders as he pumped into her at a very fast and deep pace. He kept his thumb on her clit, rotating in small clockwise circles. He came closer to orgasm, and moaned Haru's name quietly. Haru thrusted her hips with his, screaming as she finally felt the coil snap. A hot rush flooded her entire body, and it sent shivers down her spine so that even her toes curled with ecstasy.

He pulled out and released his hot orgasm onto her stomach and thighs, moaning her name and looking her in the eyes. She panted, looking up at him, her legs quivering in pleasure. The lust in their eyes were gone, just a complete loving for each other was left. That was usually how it was when they had sex, and it made her heart flutter.

They cleaned up and got their clothes back on. She curled up against her husband's side and fell into a deep sleep, dreaming no bad dreams for the entire night.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello everyone! Sorry it's been awhile since my last update. I've been writing, typing, and editing future chapters. Also been trying to figure out how this is gonna end. :/ Anyway. I hope that you enjoy this chapter! We will see Orochimaru very, very soon!**

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><p>She was woken early the next morning by the smell of her favorite breakfast food: bacon. She felt her stomach growl and twist as she got up and went into the bathroom to wash her face. She turned beet-red when she noticed faint bite marks on her neck and jaw. Thinking quickly, she put a touch of concealer on the marks before coming into the large kitchen. Ichirou was already awake, beaming and giggling happily when he saw his mother.<p>

Haru picked him up from his high chair and kissed his forehead. Sasuke was frying eggs on the stove, a heaping plate of bacon on the counter beside him.

"Morning," he said casually, focusing hard on the cooking egg. Haru nodded her head, and sat down with Ichirou on her lap. The two played peek-a-boo for about ten minutes before two fried eggs and four strips of bacon were presented to her.

Haru put Ichirou back in his high chair, which had banana slices, warm milk, and a scrambled egg on the tray. They all ate in silence, besides Ichirou's momentary babbles about his food.

This was a normal morning in the Uchiha estate. All was quiet and peaceful. The couple made eye contact every now and again, but said nothing.

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><p>Later that day, Haru took Ichirou with her to visit the retired Hokage, Lady Tsunade. She had fought the strangely youthful woman when she was under Orochimaru's care, but they had long since settled their conflicts. Haru considered the Sannin to be one of her closest friends, besides Haruno Sakura, who was very much over Sasuke now.<p>

Tsunade greeted he with a bright smile, like always. Haru stepped inside and let Ichirou down, who loved getting into Auntie Tsunade's things. They sat down in the living room and drank a cup of tea, like old women who have nothing better to do, having pointless small talk for a moment.

"Tsunade-san," Haru said quietly. "I'm scared to death."

"You should be," she answered curtly, sipping her tea. "Orochimaru wants you back."

She was the only one who really knew what happened. Tsunade had contacted Jaraiya, and both of them were looking for the snake-nin. She had actually just come back from her search in the Land of Waves yesterday.

"Come on, Haru," she continued, "you know that he's been obsessed with you for a long time. Since he's met you, it seems."

Haru thought back, twisting a lock of her black tresses. She'd known that Orochimaru grew obsessed when she was about fifteen, but he never tried anything or let anyone know. Not even Kabuto, his right-hand man for years. He never laid a hand on her in a way that wasn't teaching her a jutsu o healing her wounds. He didn't even look at her in a lustful way.

"Remember that guy you two went spying on?" Tsunade asked, interrupting the kunuoichi's thoughts. "How he killed him right there in the bar for touching your ass?"

Haru sighed. "I thought he thought of me as his child. I mean, I never saw him as a father." She paused for a moment, staring at the tea in her cup. "I thought of myself as his prisoner. He looked like a slave holder in my eyes."

Tsunade nodded. Ichirou came back with a picture frame in his tiny hands.

"Mommy, look, look!" he cried, shoving the photograph in Haru's face. She froze when she saw a faded picture of the legendary Sannin all as teenagers. They were all smiling, without a care in the world. The pale, dark headed serpent wasn't looking exactly near the camera, and his smile was more like a devious smirk. Haru wondered what on earth he was thinking about then, if he knew that one day he would be obsessing over some little girl he kidnapped from a tiny, almost unknown village.

"I thought I'd gotten rid of that," Tsunade said, picking Ichirou up and placing him on her lap.

Haru put the photograph face down on the coffee table, shaking her head. She didn't want to think about those eyes; golden eyes that had always had the ability to pierce through her and gaze into her very mind, heart, and maybe even soul. "What should I do?" she asked.

Tsunade shrugged. "Wait for him."

"He's waiting for me to let my guard down, I know it!"

"Then stay on guard, Haru!"

Haru sighed. Ichirou looked around, drooling the way that toddlers his age do. She had a bad feeling about this.

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><p><em>He hated the cold. <em>

_There was nothing but snow here. He was in the Land of Waves, looking for anyone with Kekkei Genkai. The people of this ignorant country killed anyone who revealed themselves, so he would have to search hard. Luckily, though, he was very good at sensing chakra, and might be able to snatch someone up easily._

_But he'd heard of a family that secretly had a Kekkei Genkai, and were hiding out in this snowy village. _

_It was very hard to detect the woman; she hid very well, but he found her. She was married, and had two very young children. A young boy and a young girl, twins, and he could tell how strong their chakra was just from being meters away from them._

_He watched them for a few days before he made his choice. Haku, the young boy, showed no signs of progression at such a young age. Haru, however, matured faster, though she didn't even realize it. She simply thought that her ability to manipulate water, snow, and ice were something imaginary. _

_Orochimaru expected no less, for she was only five years old. He couldn't capture her, at least not easily, because their mother dressed the twins identically during the day and even at night. He had to wait until the children were separated to make a move. _

_This meant more snow. He scowled at the thought._

_He came into their home in the night, stalking quietly through the shack. He easily found the twins' room. "Haru" was written above the cot on the right and "Haku above the left. _

_Orochimaru crept to the sleeping girl. She was sleeping peacefully, her thumb in her mouth. He gently picked her up, so not to wake her, but she still stirred. The snake-nin paused. She curled up against him, and he blushed slightly, never having anyone cuddle up to him in any way before now._

_When he walked out the door, Haru's eyes were open. She saw that she was in the arms of a stranger, and screamed._

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><p>Now, here he sat, wondering how he could get her back. He was amazed still that she had married Uchiha Sasuke, of all people, instead of him. He'd tried his best to make her happy, to give her what she wanted, but she still thought of his home as a prison, and he was the warden.<p>

Things seemed lonely without Haru here, in this place. She'd been with him for twelve long years before she and Sasuke took off. It infuriated him, but it was much worse when he found out where she went. She'd brought some warmth into his world, and even laughter, sometimes, but now all that was gone.

He groaned. He couldn't think of a way to get her back. Kidnapping was no longer an option, as she was now a Jounin and surrounded by other Shinobi. He'd barely managed to defeat her a few weeks ago. It wasn't like she was a kid again.

His eyes widened. He suddenly sat up straight. He had an idea. A plan.

"_We had a son; he's almost one now…"_

He grinned evilly. It was perfect. She'd come to him willingly. She would be in his control completely, and that's how he wanted it.

He got up and grabbed his shuriken bag. He had to move fast.


	5. Chapter 5

Haru laid face down on the bed, Sasuke straddling her waist. He was massaging her shoulders, as she had been training with TenTen most of the day. Her skill with summoning weapons amazed Haru, and she felt the need to learn some of her techniques. Tenten was flattered by Haru's request and obliged.

Haru looked down at her hands. In her left palm, there was a tattoo of the Konoha symbol, while in the right; there was a tattoo of the Land of Waves. She'd gotten the right tattoo at a younger age, because of her brother. The left, to show her loyalty to the Leaf Village.

Sasuke moved down to massage her lower back, slowly kissing across her shoulder blades. She'd just finished showering; her hair and body were covered with thick towels. She groaned as Sasuke's expert hands moved across her body, pressing down in all the right places.

Her entire body felt weightless. "You are _amazing_ at this," she said quietly. "It's best after training."

"Hn," was his only reply, and he grunted slightly as he pushed forward and down, popping Haru's lower spine. She moaned. She was truly in harmony.

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><p>Uzumaki Naruto looked around his village. He'd been the Hokage for awhile now, watching Konoha grow to respect and love him.<p>

Things had been going very well. He was engaged to Hinata, whom he grew to love after she helped him train for his Jounin exams. He'd had no idea that the timid girl even liked him, and was very surprised when she admitted her feelings for him.

He sighed. Nothing was going on lately. Everything was peaceful, which was good, but boring. Not even Sasuke was arguing with him about _anything_; he was too busy taking care of Haru to go on any missions.

He then snorted. Naruto liked Haru just fine, but he didn't fully trust her. She had belonged to Orochimaru, after all.

A shiver ran down his spine. A chakra almost as foul and inhuman as his own was inside the village. It was very strong, and very sinister. How did they get through the barrier?

A shadow crossed the Hokage's blue eyes. He could see the figure gliding through the air. He removed his red and white robes and hat, throwing them carelessly onto his roof. He decided to follow the invader silently and from a distance before attacking, maybe to figure out their purpose first.

He was led to the Uchiha estate, which was even stranger. No one was targeting the Uchiha family, not that he knew of. He came closer, to see that the person was wandering the property almost curiously. They began to head toward the master house, which Naruto knew housed the new beginning of the Uchiha clan.

He swiftly moved among the rooftops until he was above Sasuke's place, looking down from the shadows. The only thing about the figure that he could see was pale skin and waist-length ebony hair. His eyes widened.

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><p>A knock came at the door. Haru sat up, the air being cold on her naked flesh. Sasuke slowly lifted his hands from her sides, his palms coated in cheap massage oil, and together they listened.<p>

"Sasuke!" Naruto shouted. "Open up! Hurry!"

Sasuke groaned, and stood up slowly. Haru got up behind him, slipping into her dark-blue silk bathrobe. Sasuke was already out the door, ready to rid himself of the loud blond for possibly waking up his one-year-old at this time of night.

She suddenly felt sick. Afraid. She looked around. No one was there. She didn't feel a presence that offended her. Just Sasuke, Naruto, and Ichirou, who was across the hall. She sighed as she tied her bathrobe tightly. She was really getting paranoid.

"_Ha-ru_," a voice came over the baby monitor. "He looks _nothing_ like you."

Her breath hitched in her throat. She dashed into Ichirou's room, and stopped. Her lungs turned to ice; she felt as though she couldn't breathe. Tears slid down her cheeks.

"O… Orochi-" she began, but then stopped, before crying out, "_Sasuke_!"

The Uchiha and the young Hokage came in the doorway before stopping with wide eyes and open mouths.

The legendary Sannin stood with eager amber orbs and a wide smirk. A long snake extended from his left arm, going into the crib where Haru's son slept.

"I'll kill him," Orochimaru said hoarsely. "If you make one wrong move, you'll never see this child again, unless you're buried with him."

Her knees felt weak. She gazed at Orochimaru, trying to think of a plan. The reptile's tongue struck from its mouth for a moment, almost touching her child's face.

"Get the hell out of here!" Sasuke hissed suddenly. "There's a whole village here that's ready to take you on!"

Orochimaru laughed madly. "I'm not here to start another war; at least, not yet, dear Sasuke." His eyes gazed up and down Haru's half-naked body. A sick feeling dropped into her gut. "I want her."

She heard the men behind her gasp. Orochimaru stayed still. The serpent left his arm and was crawling about in Ichirou's bed with him.

"Just a snap of my fingers, Ha-ru," he hissed. "And your child will die here tonight."

She heard someone pull a kunai. She snatched Naruto's wrist.

"That snake will crush him even if you kill it," she whispered, looking down at her bare feet. Tears flowed freely down her cheeks. She had no other choice. "He's got us; I've got to go."

"No, you don't," Sasuke said. He then turned his angry eyes to Orochimaru. "If you need a new vessel, take me, don't take her."

"I've no need for a new vessel," the Sannin purred. "If I did, I would be here for you. But I just want _her_."

Sasuke looked at Haru with wide eyes. She stood bravely, but it was clear that she was shaking. What was she doing?

"I… I have some conditions." She shook her head slightly. The towel on her head was falling, revealing her wet onyx and crimson locks.

The Sannin's eyebrow raised in amusement. "Oh?" he asked. "Then tell me, my Haru, humor me."

"I want to be able to come home to my family," she replied slowly and clearly. "I want to see them for one week out of every month. I will willingly return to you, or you may kill my child and me."

His laugh sent shivers down her spine. "I will never kill you, dear, and one day, as Sasuke will be my host, you will be able to see him every day. But I will gladly keep the child's life on the line."

Her towel fell to the floor. Her hair was wet and tangled, stopping below her shoulders.

"Get dressed," Orochimaru growled. She nodded and left the room. He looked to the Hokage. "I'll send you some paperwork. She can be a sort of alliance, you know. The feud of our villages is over now that I have her."

"She's married," Sasuke snapped through gritted teeth.

"Oh, I know," the snake-nin purred. "Don't worry, you two won't divorce. It's not a sexual desire I have for her, Sasuke." His eyes glinted with slight amusement, but the grin left his face. He looked completely serious. "I just want her to belong to me, in every way that I can have her."

Haru returned wearing black under armor and her Jounin vest. Her black fingerless gloves were sticking out of her back pocket. Her tear-stained face was contorted with fear, her whole body shaking. There was no more bravery in her eyes, only submission.

"Let's go," she hissed. The Sannin nodded slightly, and grinned a familiar, devious grin at Sasuke.

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><p>The serpent did not leave Ichirou until Sasuke knew that the two were far away from the village. The child only stirred once or twice, not noticing the large reptile. Sasuke wept. Naruto was there to comfort him, but it wasn't enough. She was gone. The only person he truly ever loved besides his son was just <em>gone.<em>

He didn't know what to do. He stayed awake all through the night, sitting on his knees in the exact spot his wife had been standing when she'd agreed to leave with that _monster_.

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><p>"Why, Orochimaru?" she asked, walking by the Sannin's side with her head down. "Why are you doing this just to get me back? What am I to you, really?"<p>

His eyes glanced over to her, and he sighed. How could he explain to this girl the way he felt without making her think he was crazy? Well, thought he was crazier than he already had been when they met. He looked to the path ahead. It was three days to get to Sound, and he wasn't going to stop to rest. She had plenty of chakra to fight against him, but he knew she wouldn't. She was holding back, he could tell. If she ran, the child would die. If she refused any order that came from his lips, the child would die or she would be tortured for days. It was like he'd kidnapped her all over again.

And, he realized, in a way, he _had_ kidnapped her again.

He was going to use her, to an extent. He would make a false alliance with Konoha, and when time for a new host came along, he would come back to the Leaf Village for Sasuke. Then Haru would not be able to resist him at all. The only thing left of Sasuke would be him, and the child. Orochimaru would still take the child from her. He was going to use that until the day they died.

He took her hand. It was limp, and a little cool; probably from the breeze and the fact that her hair was still damp. She didn't resist him, only shivered slightly.

"I'm going to take care of you, Haru," he said quietly. His expression stayed blank, and she held her head up to look at him. "You shouldn't ask questions. Just know that."

She looked confused, letting her head fall to look back down at the ground. "What you're doing isn't right. You're taking me away from my family, just like you did years ago."

"_Shhh_," he purred. "You'll see how this will be different, I promise."

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><p><em>His original intention had been to make her a vessel. But now that she was fifteen, and had matured in her own way; it was different. He didn't want to take her life away from her. He wanted to protect her, to shelter her from the disgusting world that he wanted to take over and control to his pleasure. Unfortunately, though, she had seen much death in the past ten years, and she'd grown to be a rather ruthless young woman.<em>

_He trained her to the point of extreme exhaustion today. She was covered in sweat, and she looked across the field to him with hooded eyes. She was wearing a light blue t-shirt, and white jogging pants. The skin on her arms, neck, and face were spotted with scrapes, bruises, and a few cuts. She panted heavily._

"_Can we go back now?" she asked quietly. "I get it; I'm not strong enough for this yet. My Kekkei Genkai isn't going to get any stronger if I'm always exhausted."_

_He scoffed. "Your ability to manipulate water amazes me, but you still can't pull the water from the air and use it to your advantage?" He smirked wide. _

"_There's no humidity!" she snapped._

"_Then what will you do when I send you to Sunagakure?" he hissed. _

"_I'll use another jutsu you taught me! I don't have to use my power for everything, you know!"_

_He looked down, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration. She was so stubborn; she wouldn't use her power unless she absolutely had to, and that was enough to drive him to the point of beating the hell out of her. If she didn't practice using what little water was in the air, even if it was her own sweat, there was no way that she would be able to take on the enemies that he would face. _

"_Again," he shouted. "And don't fuck this up; if you die, I won't be able to forgive myself."_

_She gasped at his words. He just stared at her. _

"_You… You care whether I live or die?" she asked slowly. "I thought I was a pawn; that's what you've been telling me for years."_

_His glare softened. He felt a small warmth flood his body for a moment. "I've never thought of you as a pawn, Haru," he replied. "You're too young, but you'll get it one day."_

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><p>She grew exhausted, and Orochimaru let her climb onto his back as he continued. The sun was coming up, and he was getting a little tired himself. She snored softly against his neck, her arms limp on his shoulders. It made him smile.<p>

She was the only one who made him kind, it seemed. Before he took her, he didn't care whether anyone at all lived or died, besides his future hosts. It was like she gave him a new reason to live. She breathed a warmth into his body that he'd never felt before, and he didn't ever want to lose that feeling.

That was why he took her. He wanted to feel the warmth she gave him all the time. Even if it meant forcing her to want him back.

He shivered slightly as she stirred against him, her soft mouth pressing against his neck. He glanced back once or twice, but didn't try to wake her. She deserved sleep.


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey guys! No, this chapter is not the lemon. I have a buildup to the lemon with Haru and Orochimaru. It's gonna be interesting. I'm working on it now, but it will be a bit. But don't worry, I'll try my best to keep you entertained until that point. I hope that you enjoy this chapter!**

**Disclaimers are in my profile. **

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><p>It was three days before they reached the Sound Village. She was dirty, tired, and very hungry. Orochimaru seemed just fine, as always, but she had a feeling that he was tired as well.<p>

As soon as they arrived at his lair, Orochimaru put two bands around her wrists. They glowed for a moment, before turning a dark copper color.

"What the hell is this?" she growled.

"Do you think I trust you not to attack me in my own home?" he asked. "Those are to suppress your chakra and make your Taijutsu slower than normal, so I can easily take you down if necessary."

She snorted. She had thought of killing him once they'd arrived, in the hopes that he'd let his guard down. Now he could do so knowing that she could do absolutely nothing about it. At least not easily.

He led her to a large bedroom that held a single king-sized canopy bed, the rods on the bed mahogany and shining in the dim light. There was also a large mahogany wardrobe and a mahogany vanity, which added a womanly touch to the room. The vanity looked brand new, with no signs of age at all on the sheen of the wood.

"This is where you'll be sleeping," he purred into her ear. She shivered. "I got the vanity for you, as well as a few other things; I'm not used to females anymore."

"Oh, I can't _imagine_ why," she retorted. "What woman _wouldn't_ want to spend all their time here?"

She could feel his glare. He stayed silent and took her to the door on the left side of the bedroom. "This is the bathroom," he said, his eyes looking into hers with intensity. "Go clean up, you have clothes in the wardrobe. I'll have dinner for you when you get done."

She nodded, and the Sannin walked out, leaving her alone for the first time in three days. She opened the door and her eyes widened. It was slightly larger than the master bathroom at the estate. On the very end, with a glass ceiling above it to view the sky, there was a garden bathtub that was high off the ground and had ceramic steps that led up to it. The tub was surrounded with vanilla candles and bath salts and crèmes. To her left, there was a mirror above two sinks. On her left there was a shelf that held the towels, washcloths, and sponges.

She remembered this bathroom. She put the seat down before sitting on the toilet to look at the floor. Her bathroom seven years ago had been on the other side of the underground lair. So had her bedroom. As large as the lair was, she was surprised she still remembered how to get there.

She thought back for a moment. Was her old bedroom still the same, painted blue and silver? Were her old headbands and her jewelry she'd left behind still in the bathroom hanging from the mirror?

She shook her head. She didn't want any of those things. They were a part of her past, not her future. She thoughtlessly went up the three steps to turn the water on in the bathtub. She let the hot water run through her fingers for a moment before going to look in the mirrors.

Her face was dirty and her once-clean hair was matted with dirt. Her eyes were bloodshot and her lips were dry. She almost laughed. She hadn't looked this bad in a very long time. She didn't think she'd even looked that bad when Kakashi found her in the forest almost a month and a half ago.

Haku would be ashamed. She gave in so easily. She thought about it, and realized how much her brother and herself was alike. They both gave their lives for someone they cared about. The only difference was the person who took her life from her was still letting her live.

She wanted to vomit in disgust. She'd said that she wasn't going to do something like Haku, and had mocked him for doing what he did. But now here she was. A rat in a cage. Her life was no longer her own. She felt exactly as she had twenty years ago.

She began to undress, admiring her few scars and her stretch marks from child birth. Her skin was lightly tanned from training in the hot sun for years, but she felt as though she should be paler to look more like her brother.

She relaxed once she got into the steaming hot water. Memories of her brother began to flash before her eyes. The first time she saw him after she was kidnapped, he had killed their parents and an angry mob that was out to kill him.

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><p><em>The snow made her happier than she'd been in years. <em>

_Orochimaru was taking her home to see her family. It had been years. She wasn't sure why her new master had decided to take her home for a visit, but she was very happy to take him up on it. It had been a long four years since she'd seen them. _

_Orochimaru was silent as she chattered on about how excited she was. She wore a casual light blue kimono with a black obi, wearing a matching blue hat and boots for warmth. Her black scarf waved slightly in the breeze. Orochimaru always scowled when the young girl mentioned how beautiful the snow was. It seemed like he didn't like the cold much, which surprised Haru. He was a cold person. _

_She shrugged inwardly at the thought. Maybe people were opposite of their behaviors, sometimes. She continued following Orochimaru down the snow-white path to her home. _

_As they reached the cottage that her mother and father had built, tears brimmed in her eyes. Large ice spikes were the only remainder of her home, as the house had fallen apart. She looked at Orochimaru, who stared at the spikes in surprise. She ran without thought to the ruins, looking for any signs of life. _

"_Haku!" she cried. "Haku! Where are you?"_

_She no longer cared to lie low as her master had ordered; she only wanted to find her brother. Who had used the Kekkei Genkai? Surely not their mother, she had been too afraid to use her power at all. Orochimaru said that Haku wouldn't be able to use it until he got older. _

_The two wandered the village, trying to figure out what had happened, but no one would tell them. They searched until nightfall before they found the person they were looking for. _

_His brown eyes were blank. His clothes were tattered and his hair dirty and matted. He just sat on a bridge, his face on his knees. Haru walked up to him, her head curiously tilted to the side. _

"_Ha… Haku?" she whispered. _

_The boy looked up at her, and his eyes widened slightly. "Haru?" he said. His voice was hoarse. "Where…?"_

_She hugged her twin brother and began to sob. He put his arms around her and sobbed as well. They cried together for a long time. Orochimaru glared at the ground, at the obnoxious snow, kicking it every now and then. He stayed silent so that the two could catch up. _

"_What happened to the…?"_

"_Father tried to kill me, Haru."_

"_What? Why?"_

"_Because our powers are evil."_

_The young girl looked at her brother with anger in her tear-stained eyes. "No, they're not. I've been in a place where we are respected for our abilities." She turned to her master, who was still kicking the snow from his feet. "Orochimaru-sama," she cried, "can't he come with us? Please?"_

_Orochimaru looked up at the young girl with his familiar grin. "I don't see why not, if he wants."_

_Haru looked at Haku with a smile on her face. Haku smiled. _

"_We'll go get you something to eat; let's go." She reached out for Haku's hand, but he shook his head._

"_The villagers don't want me around," he said. "I'll wait here for you."_

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><p>The woman sighed. When she and Orochimaru had returned, Haku had left with Zabuza. She sometimes wondered if her brother had been sane enough to remember the conversation. She looked down at her bare legs; steam was rolling off of them from the heat of the water.<p>

She wished she could use her chakra, so that she could use a jutsu Sasuke had taught her to light the candles. She took her time washing her hair and bathing, not ready to face her captor again. When she got out of the water, she used some of the body crème on her arms, stomach, and legs.

She walked across the room, dripping wet, to grab two of the black towels from the shelf. Wrapping her hair up in one, she wrapped her body in the other as she walked out the door into the bedroom again.

She quickly dressed into black sweat pants and a blue t-shirt. Her stomach was growling, and Orochimaru had mentioned dinner. At this point, she'd eat dirt if it was presented to her.

She still had a faint memory that was strong enough to lead her to the kitchen after a few wrong turns. Orochimaru had rice boiling on the stove, and there were slices of both beef and chicken sliced up on two different plates. Bread rolls were on the table, too, and a bottle of sake beside two glasses.

Orochimaru sat at the far end of the table. He smirked at her. "Feel better?" he asked.

She silently nodded and went to check the rice, as was her instinct as a wife. He got up and grabbed her hand with a surprisingly gentle grip.

"Sit down, Haru," he purred. "I'll get you some when it's ready. Go have a drink."

She complied, downing half of the bottle of sake before dinner was ready. She thought that if she got drunk, she could deal with the first night with Orochimaru better.

She poured him a glass when he sat back down, setting a plate of rice in front of her.

She ate like she'd been starved for years. Food was so good. And Orochimaru didn't cook too badly, either.

"You'll have to do things on your own here, you know," he sneered, sipping his sake. "This isn't the Uchiha estate, with servants waiting on you hand and foot."

She swallowed her food. "We pay our housekeeper very well, thank you," she retorted. "And I do my own laundry, cook my own food, and sharpen my own weapons as it is. Also, I've lived here before. I know what to do."

"Then you should have cleaned up the mess in the bathroom."

She blushed slightly, and downed another glass of sake. "My bathroom, isn't it?"

"_Our _bathroom," he corrected. Her eyes widened. "That's also _our _bedroom. So clean up after yourself, if you don't mind."

She rolled her eyes. "Yes, sir."

She didn't have to respect him just because she was becoming his new plaything. Orochimaru just chuckled and took another bite of his chicken.

The rest of the meal went silently. It reminded Haru of home. When the two were done cleaning up, she was ordered to go to bed while he did some paperwork. She took the bottle of liquor with her, not bothering to grab her glass.

Sasuke's eyes were red from lack of sleep. Ichirou was apparently having night terrors of "giant snakes" every night. It had been three days since Haru left. He was lonely.

He looked down at his son, who was asleep with his thumb in his mouth. He'd just spent an hour rocking the child back to sleep.

He looked toward the window Haru had climbed out of. She'd taken a photograph of the family with them; he noticed when he finally went back to his room to see that a picture frame was empty.

He sighed as he went back into his bedroom and lay on Haru's side of the bed. The nanny was around a lot more now, so that he could go on night patrol. She stayed in the master house a lot more now, so that he could rest when he came back.

It had only been three days, but it felt like years to the Uchiha heir. He felt his purpose of life slipping away already, like it had when he was a teenager hell-bent on revenge.

Haru had stopped Sasuke from starting a world war. She was like a savior to all, even though a few of the Leaf Nin didn't like her when she first came around. She let a tear roll down her face before he dove into a deep, lonely slumber.

* * *

><p>He just looked at her while she slept in his bed. She was passed out drunk on the onyx crushed velvet sheets, the silk blanket tangled around her. He smiled.<p>

She was finally with him, in _his_ bed. The mere thought of it sent chills down his spine. She was beautiful. But the red in her hair had to go.

He decided to go buy her some hair dye tomorrow. He sat on the same side of the bed she was on, _their_ bed, and observed her well for the first time.

Her eyelashes were so long that they barely touched her cheekbones. Her curves were hugged in the shirt that was twisted around her stomach and waist. Her chest heaved, and he was tempted to take her in her sleep. He had to bite his lip to resist her.

He took off his shirt, revealing his pale torso. He was built well, his scars shown even whiter on his body. He changed into some black sweats before crawling on the other side of the bed and covering himself with the blanket.

She stirred when he untangled her, her lip pouting in frustration. He had never kissed her, and suddenly wondered what it would be like. He slowly let his golden eyes take in every curve of her body, wondering what it was like underneath all of those annoying clothes.

He scowled when he saw the silver wedding ring on her finger. He managed to remove it gently without waking the woman, placing it on the mahogany bedside table on his side. It disgusted him that another man claimed her as his own. She belonged to Orochimaru, and he was going to make that clear in the next few weeks. He was going to ingrain into her mind that she was his, and only his, to take delight in, or to show her love to. When she returned to her husband in a month, she would once again be the ruthless hellcat that she'd been when she'd met the Uchiha.

He gently and slowly pulled her to him, spooning with her. She was so warm, and her body on his was so very delicious. He had to hold back again. Her hair smelled like vanilla, just as he liked…

Yes, she was his now. And only his. Forever, he decided. Forever.


	7. Chapter 7

The first day with Orochimaru wasn't that bad. He was off doing other things, so she found her way to the old training area and worked out for most of the day. By evening, she was making a hot dinner for herself and her slaveholder, already out of the shower and ready to go to sleep early so that she wouldn't have to talk to him much.

The bonds on her wrists were annoying. She couldn't train with her Ninjutsu, and even her Kekkei Genkai was blocked. She tried asking Orochimaru, but he wouldn't take them off of her. She had to stick to physical workouts for awhile before he would trust her enough not to attack him.

When she lay down in bed that night, she was surprised to see the Sannin follow. "Don't you have paperwork or something to do?" she hissed.

"Not at all," he growled back. "I finished it all today so that I could spend some time with you."

"Oh, really now?" She sat down on the bed and pulled the blanket over her legs. "And how do you expect to spend time with me, besides just staring at me and arguing about nothing?"

He was straddling her legs and looming over her so fast that she hadn't even seen him move. His arms were on either side of her, his hands on top of her own. He looked down at her with such intensity that she felt she might crumble.

"Kiss me, Haru," he whispered.

Her eyes widened. "What… what did you just say?"

"_Kiss me_," he repeated.

She looked away, her cheeks turning a dark red. "No way," she said. "I thought that you told Sasuke that there was nothing sexual between us, you snake." He laughed a little. "I lied," he said. "Now do as I say, or I promise you'll regret it."

She looked up and met his eyes. Was he threatening Ichirou again, or just planning on raping her or torturing her? She couldn't tell from his expression. He just had that evil grin on his face, like he was ready to do whatever it took to get his way.

She took a deep breath and squeezed her eyes shut. She wasn't going to get out of this. She leaned forward and kissed the side of his face before looking away again.

"Now get off of me," she whispered, blushing.

He chuckled slightly. "You know better," he purred. "I want you to kiss me the way you kiss _him_."

Her eyes opened wide and she looked at him. "What…? You… you want me to…"

He grinned. Her eyes welled up with tears. She closed her eyes again, leaning forward to blindly locate his lips.

They were surprisingly soft, almost silky. She kept the kiss timid. A tear slid down her cheek.

He was suddenly on fire. He let go of her hands to grab her face, deepening the kiss. He felt the tear on his hand, but he didn't care. He bit down on her lip, knowing she wouldn't willingly give him permission to enter her caverns. When she gasped, he took the opportunity to tackle her tongue with his. She responded softly, almost teasing him. He decided to slow this down, and gently probe her mouth. He wanted to enjoy every inch of her, just a little bit at a time.

As their mouths parted, he pushed her down onto the sheets. Tears were freely flowing down her face. He kissed them softly away.

"You belong to me, Haru," he cooed into her ear. "Only me."

He found his way to the curse mark on her shoulder, sealed by something that Kakashi must have taught Sasuke. He chuckled.

"If I were really dead, my dear, then this wouldn't still be here. I removed it from Sasuke, but I will soon gladly return it to him."

"You bastard," she said quietly. "Get off of me now."

He bit down hard on the curse mark, sending his own evil venom to attack the curse seal. Her warm body arched against his own, and he almost lost control from the mere pleasure of how she felt against him. He lapped up the blood flowing from her shoulder with his wide, thick tongue. Her blood was bittersweet, and he bit down even harder.

She cried out in pain. She reached up and grabbed his hair, attempting to force him off of her. "Stop," she cried. "Please, stop this. You're hurting me."

He waited another moment before extracting his teeth from the sensitive flesh. The seal was gone. Two fresh bite marks bled just above the mark.

"You belong to me," he hissed. "That mark proves my point."

He felt no sympathy for her tears. He kissed her again, open mouthed, and her own tongue was more responsive this time. He felt her hand go limp in his hair, and it soon was gripping his Jounin vest.

Her free hand was searching for the Sannin's weapon pouch. He was distracted, and she could easily stab him in the back if she wished if she kept it up long enough.

As soon as she found it, he had her wrist in a bruising grip. "I don't think so," he breathed against her lips.

He got up and began to change. She looked up at the ceiling. As he laid in bed with her, she turned toward him.

"So… you're not going to…"

"I'm going to enjoy you," he said, and gazed back at her. His eyes were almost glowing. "I'm going to relish you, bit by bit. I am only going slow so that I can enjoy it even more."

She blushed. "Just get it over with."

He laughed. "That's not a part of the plan, my Ha-ru." He gazed back up at the ceiling. "Ravishing you is not part of my plan, although it would be pleasurable to watch you fight back." He suddenly was looking at her intently. "But I want to make you want me so bad that you're begging for me."

Her breath hitched in her throat. It was going to be a long month.

* * *

><p>The next day was even worse. He watched her train, and even showed her a thing or two that he said she'd forgotten over the years. It was interesting how she had forgotten some of the most powerful jutsu she'd ever known.<p>

He took her to the library, where he did his research. She spent from the late morning to the early afternoon skimming through books about jutsu, chakra control, and many books about the Sannin's own goal: immortality. She quickly became disgusted and put all the books away, telling herself to never so much as glance at them again.

She made ramen for dinner, seeing as she wasn't in the mood to make something nice when she had no one to impress. He ate the noodles and shrimp without complaint, smiling slightly at her. She wondered what he had planned for her tonight. It made her shudder to think that he may touch her again. When she took a hot bath and got ready for bed, she was surprised to see him standing, gazing at her with wicked golden eyes. She felt her face heat up. She walked up to him defiantly.

"What do you have planned?" she asked through gritted teeth.

He grinned. "As I said last night, my dear, I'm going to enjoy you, slowly, every night, just to make this all much better for myself."

She snorted. "And what if I find nothing pleasurable?"

His grin turned into a smirk. "Oh, but my Ha-ru, you will."

He took her lips by surprise. They fell onto the bed, him on top of her. His hands wandered to her waist, gripping the fabric of her loose-fitting tank top. He lifted her shirt up above her bra-covered breasts, and took in her curves.

"By the gods…" he whispered.

She had a few scars, but that was just fine with him. She had more curves than any woman he'd ever seen. He had to take a deep breath to keep control of himself. He felt his manhood twitch, but he shook off the feeling inwardly.

She stared up at him with wide eyes. When he met her gaze, she blushed. He ran his fingers down from her chest to her navel, his eyes never leaving hers, seeing how she would react.

She wriggled beneath him. _Ah_, he thought. _She's ticklish._ He felt a grin coming on his face, but this was a time of seriousness.

"Please just get off me," she said. "This is humiliating enough, but I _am _married."

He glared at her.

She felt a wave of fear hit her at his new gaze. He suddenly had her by the hair. "When you're here, Haru, you're no longer married." His mouth easily dominated hers, and she felt tears in her eyes. She bit his lip to stop him, only earning a groan from the older man. She moved her face to the side, squeezing her eyes shut.

"If you want to enjoy me bit by bit, then just do it."

She knew that there was a new glint in his eyes without even looking at him. His grip on her hair softened. He kissed her jaw softly.

He slowly and lightly moved his hands down her arms, the sides of her breasts, and her hips, before curling his long, cool fingers around her pant line. He kissed her lower stomach as he pulled them to her knees, and stood to admire her in her underwear.

He stood to admire her body. He had to hold back, knowing that he couldn't remove her underwear until tomorrow. He had to take this slow, or all of his plan would be lost. Deliciously taking her to the brink of maddening lust was all a part of his plan.

He leaned down to give her a bruising kiss. She moaned slightly. He ran his hands up and down her entire body, taking in every curve, every scar, and every sensitive area of her body. She was already becoming putty in his hands, and he'd barely even begun.

"No one has ever touched you like this, have they?" he whispered into her ear. He could see her blush from the corner of his eye. "Not even your precious significant other? I almost feel bad for you."

"Shut up," she said through gritted teeth. "My sex life is none of your business."

Oh, but it was. He wanted to know every detail of it, so he could outdo any of her previous lovers. His fingers gently caressed her covered breasts, to feel her arch to him. As his hands stroked her sides, he whispered again, "No one has ever touched you like this, have they?"

He sat up and gazed at her, waiting for her reply. She gulped. "No," she said softly. "Sasuke isn't really… into a lot of foreplay."

He chuckled. "And your other lovers?"

Her face grew an even brighter red. "He was my first," she said. "And my _only_."

She flinched at his grimace. "I wish I could have taken you," he growled. "And then you would truly know how a man is supposed to treat a woman in the bedroom."

She began to back away from him. "Please, just stop this."

He could only focus on how sexy she looked, with her pleading eyes and black underwear and bra. "I'll never be able to," he said. "You belong to _me_ now. And you have to let me do what I want. This was a part of the deal."

"You're sick."

"You're the sick one, Haru."

"What did I ever do?"

"Married a man that could never do anything for you except bring trouble to you and your children, who is focused on nothing but himself." "You mean like you? Because I married a man that loves me for me and he loves our son, too."

"Does he?" The Sannin grinned widely, almost like a Cheshire Cat. "Maybe since his brother is dead and now he has _nothing_ else to live for, he's using you and your son as something to keep him occupied?"

"That's not true. I kept him from starting a world war!"

"Please. He still will start a war. Just not at the moment. You'll see."

"Don't act like you know him! I can keep him from leaving Konoha again!"

"Just like you kept me from choosing him as a vessel?"

She glared at him, successfully at the opposite end of the bed. "You sent me away to Suna while you went to the Chunin exams."

"Yes, because you must admit that back then _you_ wanted all of my attention."

She felt a blush creeping up on her face. She thought back to those times. When she was only an adolescent, at fifteen years old.

* * *

><p><em>She sat back on her bed, staring blankly at her light blue walls. There were few decorations in her small bedroom, only a few scrolls hanging on the walls, displaying short nonsense poems she'd written. She had her own book in her hands, a journal where she felt she could be herself without Orochimaru-sama knowing everything she was thinking. <em>

_She sighed as she just wrote, not even thinking what she was writing. It seemed to be better that way, as she'd been told that she lets her emotions show too clearly. _

_**I'm not really sure what to do here… Orochimaru-sama says that he's going to Konoha to find himself a new vessel and to launch another attack. Even though it's two months away, I feel like I can't talk him out of it. **_

_**I thought that he was training me to be his new host? I thought that's what he kidnapped me for ten years ago! What on earth? Why is he changing his mind?**_

_**Am I not good enough for him? Is he going to kill me so I don't tell all his secrets?**_

_**It's not my fault that I walked in on his experimenting once. I didn't mean to see what he was doing to those people. I don't think that that's reason to kill me though! Is it?**_

_**I'm asking myself this. How stupid. I'll fucking freak out if he tries to kill me. There's no way I can take him on… it would take a superhero to do that. Or a Jinchuriki that could control his demon. Good luck with all that, though.**_

_**I'm almost jealous that he's picking someone else. Why would he? I thought I was doing pretty good here. I think I should be the one. I have a great Kekkei Genkai. I'm strong. I have chakra control. What more could anyone else want? **_

_**As long as I don't die, I think I'll be okay. Now that Haku is gone, I'll have nowhere to go if he throws me out, but I might just make it. Hey, maybe I could join a village somewhere and start a brand new life!**_

_She paused and looked up at the ceiling for a moment, pondering, before beginning to write again._

_**Who am I kidding? I can't make it on my own. Not at this age. Even Haku had Zabuza. Now what? He'll probably kill me off as soon as the new host gets here. I wouldn't be surprised. There's no use for me here anymore. Have I really become so useless? Is this really because I can't pull water from thin air? I can't help that I'm not strong enough to do that yet!**_

_**I am so done with this. I'll talk to him when the new host comes. Figure it out then. Deuces.**_

* * *

><p>She almost laughed. She was such a dumb kid back then. She knew he was right, but why would she admit it? That would give him the utmost satisfaction, and she wasn't going to have any of that.<p>

"I'm going to bed," she choked out, before snaking herself underneath the silk sheet. She didn't look at him. She heard him chuckle quietly, and felt the mattress shift beneath her as he joined her in bed. His arm went around her waist and pulled her to him. She closed her eyes, praying to whatever was out there that this would all be over soon.


	8. Chapter 8

She was growing more and more bored as days went by. Orochimaru's nighttime tortures were the closest thing she had to amusement, and that was at the end of the day. She felt as if she'd already read all of the scrolls. When Orochimaru was in his office or his lab, not bothering her for a change, she never could find anything to do. He would not let her go outside of the lair for fear that she would run away.

She snorted at his ignorance. Why would she run away when Ichirou's life was on the line? She just wanted to get out. Moreover, she would do _anything_ to go beyond the lair.

She was only allowed in the clearing where they trained when she was younger. Other than that, she could not go out at all. He wouldn't even send her on a mission. It had been almost two weeks, and she was losing her mind.

She rarely thought of Sasuke anymore. She thought about her son, yes, but when she thought of Sasuke, she felt like a sinner. Like what she was doing was wrong. Orochimaru really was putting her under a spell of sorts. Something wasn't right. She didn't want to think about the two of them together. She knew she wanted Sasuke. He was her husband. Her lover.

She would even think about Orochimaru in her private time. When she was in the bathtub, she would sometimes be tempted to touch herself when she thought of the things he had been doing to her. He wasn't past her underwear yet, and had not made her orgasm, but his touches truly were pleasurable. Sasuke had never touched her like that. Then again, Sasuke had never been a tease, either.

The curse mark began to burn. She cringed and grabbed her shoulder. It seemed like every time her husband ran through her mind, she felt the pain. That was another problem with being here. He was in total control now. It drove her insane.

As she walked the dark, quiet halls that she had been raised in, she heard a scream. _He must be experimenting again_, she thought with a shudder. She had walked in on one of his experiments once. It had changed her forever. She had only stopped having nightmares a few months before she had her son. Her master's search for immortality and to be all-knowing was one he worked vigorously for, but she thought that he went about it the very wrong way.

She stopped. What if he hadn't turned out the way he was? What if he had lived a natural life in Konoha, not at all concerned about immortality or knowledge? Would he be dead by now? Where would she be?

"Maybe I'd be dead," she said aloud. "If… he hadn't come for me… I would be in the ground, with Haku…"

She shook her head and continued to wander the halls, eventually ending up in the library. She pulled a book and a few scrolls down from the shelves, all three of which were about her Kekkei Genkai. She used to pore over these books without an inkling of understanding, being so young. Orochimaru had expected her to just understand on the first try and wouldn't do very much to help her except through trial-and-error.

Now that she was an adult, maybe she could understand if she were to try it. Just one more time.

Orochimaru opened the library door. She quickly hid the books under the desk she sat at, hoping he hadn't noticed.

"I have something I need you to do for me," he said. "I'm removing the chakra bonds, as well, for this mission, but you have to come back."

"Or Ichirou dies, right?" she sneered.

"Exactly. However, you need the exercise. And, don't waste any time."

He handed her a scroll. It was addressed to the Sixth Hokage.

"Take this to Konoha."

* * *

><p>He opened the door, and his eyes widened in surprise to see the ink-Shinobi at his doorstep.<p>

"Hello, Sasuke-kun," he said, that fake smile on his face. "Been drinking, I see?"

He looked away. The drunk flush over his cheeks must be obvious. Sake had become his new best friend since Haru left. He was always either buzzed or hung-over when Naruto sent him on missions.

"Why are you here?" he hissed, trying not to slur.

"Ugly asked me to come check on you," he stated bluntly. "She's busy at the hospital, or she would do so herself."

Sasuke scoffed at Sai's nickname for Sakura Haruno, the pink-haired medic that had once been deeply in love with him. "Well, I'm fine. So you can go."

"You're a bad liar when you're drunk, Sasuke-kun."

"How you figure?"

"Everyone can see how you've been lately. Haru's absence is making you… what's the word? … Lonely?"

"Wow, you're getting better at the whole emotion thing, Sai-san," Sasuke said bitterly. "Of course I'm lonely; my wife was kidnapped by Konoha's greatest enemy."

"Ah, but is it her greatest enemy?"

Sasuke sent the ink-Shinobi a glare, and moved so he could come inside. He slammed the door so hard that the frame cracked. "What are you talking about?"

Sai's smile faded. He became very serious. "Haru was raised by Orochimaru, wasn't she?"

"He kidnapped her when she was a child."

"Why?"

Sasuke hesitated. "Because he was going to use her as a vessel and take her Kekkei Genkai."

"Maybe that's what he's doing now?"

"There's no way; I used to live in that hell-hole, too. When I was there, he had no interest in using her as his new body."

"Then why didn't he kill her?" Sai looked down at the floor. "I spied for that snake once, you know."

Sasuke was not sure what to say. Why hadn't Orochimaru killed Haru? She never went anywhere thinking that it would be dangerous for her; he had never even hit her hard enough to leave a bruise when they trained. He hadn't allowed Sasuke to use blades or fire on her, either, when the two sparred.

Why did Orochimaru protect someone so much when he had no use for them?

"You can't think of a reason why, either?" Sai asked. "Because I sure as hell can't."

Sasuke shrugged. "Maybe to use her as a guard after Kabuto finally went down. It's possible."

"I remember her always following him. Her cold eyes staring everyone down. She never had anything nice to say to anyone, or showed a sign of kindness."

"She's changed a lot, you know, Sai-san."

"Oh, I know that. I'm just saying, she wasn't raised to be kind."

"Haku was a very kind soul, she says."

Sai sauntered over to the couch and took a seat. "That may be so. Maybe her nature is kind, then. However, she was not raised right. Not by that man."

"But Haru isn't the same person she was when I met her."

"Not the person you fell in love with, is it?"

The Uchiha heir suddenly felt anger bubble up in his gut. He stumbled to the couch to glare at Sai with all his might. "I love Haru for who she is. She's kind, powerful, but has a huge heart and is loyal to her village."

"But she was cold and cruel when you met her, ne?"

Sasuke looked to the other end of the couch. Haru had been cold when they had met, even though she seemed friendly at first. She was merciless. She spoke what was on her mind, not caring if it hurt someone's feelings or not. She seemed to be angry, all the time. Especially when it came to Orochimaru. If she didn't have his attention, she would be angry. Then again, she was mad at him all the time, it seemed. She had often made remarks about how he forced her to be there, and how she wanted to go home.

Orochimaru had always been quick to shut her up, though. But she was loyal to him until Sasuke had "killed" him. Then she was loyal to Sasuke, but soon wanted him to return to Konoha. Why, he wasn't sure. She'd never explained it to him. But she was thanked heartily by the village for bringing Sasuke back.

Sasuke sat down. Both men were silent. Haru had almost left Konoha after bringing him home, but suddenly, Sasuke said it wouldn't be right unless she'd stayed. The village opened up to her and became her home.

He sighed. "I don't know what to do without her."

He felt Sai get up. "You may be able to see her soon, though you're drunk."

Sasuke closed his eyes. "What are you talking about?"

"She's not supposed to come until a week from today, correct?"

"So?"

"I feel her chakra. It's faint, but I feel it. She's here a week early."

Sasuke was soon up and slipping on his sandals. The nanny was rocking Ichirou to sleep now, so he could leave without worry.

* * *

><p>Naruto was shocked to see Haru standing there in his office. She was dressed in all black, even wearing a black Sound vest. Her eye makeup was heavy, and she wore a mask similar to Kakashi's. Her hair was similar to the way her twin wore it years ago during his last battle, but her bangs were not tied. A small, olive green snake slithered around her waist, hissing occasionally. Probably so Orochimaru could keep an eye on her.<p>

He did his best to smile at her. "Haru-chan, you look-healthy," he said.

"Orochimaru-sama sent me to bring you this," she said, holding out a simple scroll. She bowed her head. Naruto took the scroll from her, opening it slowly. His ocean-blue eyes never left the figure in front of him.

"Don't be so formal, Haru-chan," he said quietly.

"I'm here on business, Hokage-sama, and Orochimaru-sama told me not to waste time by associating. That's what my week's vacation is for."

"What is this, then?" he asked.

"That scroll is the contract for the alliance between Konohagakure and Otogakure. Or, Orochimaru and Konoha, if you think about it."

He nodded. They went over the contract for awhile together. Haru was to spend three of the four weeks of a month with Orochimaru, to be used as his subordinate and his Shinobi, performing missions and such, and the fourth week, she was to come to Konoha and be a Leaf nin, completely loyal, as if nothing had happened. As long as this was happening, Otogakure and Konohagakure were in alliance, and both villages would be at peace with each other. There would be trade. All negotiations would be passed through Haru. The three-day journey did not count against the kunuoichi's time in either location, so therefore she was a free woman only during that three-day trip.

"And if you don't go to either location?" he asked.

"Read the last line, Hokage-sama," she said simply.

He looked down at the last line of the thick writing. If Haru doesn't return to Orochimaru at Konoha gates at the end of the week she was home, a war will rise. There was nothing about what happened if Haru didn't come back to the village.

"What happens," he asked, "if you decide not to come to Konoha?"

"Then I am a traitor of the village, a rogue nin, and am a member of Otogakure."

The Hokage's eyes grew wide. Was she serious? "I expect to be treated like any rogue, imprisoned upon capture," she continued.

Naruto sighed. There was no way he could try to work something better out. He wondered how Haru felt about all of this. Losing her freedom for the rest of her life, just to save her child? He wondered if she could really be so selfless. Will she crack under the pressure in only the third month? There was no way that everything would be alright. This wasn't going to last long.

Naruto, however, signed the contract beside Orochimaru's own name, and handed the scroll back to the woman in front of him. She reached into a vest pocket and tossed another to him.

"That's for you to keep here, while I return this one to Orochimaru-sama."

He signed the copy as well, and put it away in a drawer. Hinata would soon come in and organize all of his paperwork anyway. She said he was too sloppy for a desk job, but that was what being Hokage was really about.

"We're really doing this without consulting the council, ne?" he said quietly.

"What those idiots don't know won't hurt them," she hissed. "I must be going. He'll grow irritated if I'm not quick on the way back."

Naruto nodded. This was business, after all. He would get plenty of time to talk to Haru next week, when she came home.

Sasuke and Sai suddenly burst in, just as Haru had turned to leave. Sasuke looked more than a little drunk, and he could sense Haru's glare without having to see it.

"Ha-Ha-Haru!" Sasuke stuttered. "Why… Why are you…?"

"You're drunk," she said. "I'm sorry, Uchiha-san, but I must be on my way to Oto."

"Uchiha…? I'm your _husband_! Why would you address me like that?" Sasuke was out of breath.

"She's on business, Sasuke," Naruto called. "She has to be formal when she's here on _his_ time. Let her go. She'll be home soon."

Haru paused. Sasuke could see a tear fall down her cheek. What was she doing here? And why had she masked her face?

"Sasuke…" she breathed. "I… I'm sorry…"

The snake hissed loudly and bit Haru on her hip. She cringed and gripped at her shoulder. Sasuke knew it was the curse mark. He bit his lip. Had Orochimaru already broken the seal that he'd worked so hard on?

She quickly darted past the two men and out the door. When Sasuke went out to follow her, she was gone. Her chakra signature was gone as well.

She had disappeared just as quickly as she had come. Sasuke fell to his knees, and finally broke down from the loneliness. Tears began to pour down his face as he choked out a sob.

Three days later, she was back in the lair, stripping all the way to the bathtub. She was disgusted with herself. Orochimaru's chakra signature was nowhere around. Maybe he was gone somewhere. She did not care; she wanted to be alone.

That damn snake stayed outside the bathroom door. She had thought about killing it, but it would soon disappear when Orochimaru came back.

Her bath wasn't long. She simply cleaned herself up and got into the bed in her towel. Sasuke had looked at her with such pleading eyes, and she just wanted to hug him and never come back to this place. However, she couldn't, not unless she wanted Konoha to be destroyed. She couldn't fight Orochimaru, not when she'd been trained by him and didn't know many of his weaknesses in combat. But Sasuke did. And she'd never bothered to ask, thinking that the Sannin was dead.

She felt his presence. It was strange being able to feel chakra again.

"Welcome home," he said quietly. "How was it?"

"You know how it was," she snapped. "If you don't mind, I'd like to sleep alone tonight."

"And why would you want to do that?"

She blushed. Underneath the sheet, there was nothing but a towel wrapped around her body. But maybe Orochimaru hadn't noticed that yet.

"You annoy me." She put her entire head under the sheet like a child. She could sense his slow movement throughout the room. She still had plenty of chakra, and there was a glass of water on the bedside table. She could easily take him on with just that, if she needed to. And her hair was wet.

He was foolish to not put the bonds on her as soon as she'd walked in the door. She began to form a plan, but it was short-lived when she felt his chakra signature spike slightly. Not particularly in anger, but… nervousness?

She began to focus on the water in her hair, feeling it trickle down her shoulders, arms, and into her hand, to form a spike of sorts. She gave it a small squeeze-no, it was not going to melt, not easily.

She felt the weight on the bed shift. She quickly put the ice blade underneath her back and waited for him to pull the sheet from her, revealing her towel-clad body.

The Sannin smirked. "Oh, so you're ready to go?" he asked with a laugh.

"Don't even think about it," she growled. "You've gone almost an entire month without seeing me naked. Why don't you just wait it out a little bit longer?"

Impatience crossed his eyes for a moment, before he chuckled and leaned in for a kiss. As soon as she felt the soft silk of his mouth on hers, she quickly moved the ice blade to his neck, stabbing him in the throat with one quick blow. She felt him gasp against her. She smiled with satisfaction, only to have her eyes widen as she felt the weight change above her. She watched with angry eyes as the man before her disappeared with a puff of smoke. A Shadow Clone? Had he been expecting her to attack?

"And to think I thought I could trust you," she heard him purr from the shadows. She looked around the room with careful eyes, keeping the towel about her body as she rose, ice blade in hand. "But you're just as devious as always, _Ha-ru_."

She shuddered. She was stuck. There wasn't enough space in this room to fight him. She knew that. _But damn it all_, she thought, _I suppose I should give it a try_.

She quickly made the "snake" handsign, closing her eyes. She could feel the room grow cold and ice beginning to form at her feet. As the ice began to spread throughout the room, a grin came to her. It had been awhile since she'd used this Jutsu, and she knew she was going to enjoy it.

The candles in the room went out, but the ice had a faint glow. It eliminated all shadows in the area she froze.

She gazed up to watch as the ice consumed the ceiling, to see Orochimaru in a corner. He jumped down onto the floor to gaze at her. As the furniture was consumed as well, Haru adjusted her towel. _Maybe I should have changed first_, she thought. _Oh well_.

"I helped you with this Jutsu," he said with a smirk. "Did you honestly think that I would get caught in the ice?"

She laughed. "Of course not! Anyone dumb enough not to move is consumed. But, this Jutsu will keep you from hiding from me in the shadows or darkness."

"That's all it does?" he questioned. There was no telling. Haru could have made adjustments to the Jutsu. After all, she did control the ice. "How did you even get enough water for this?"

"It's a thin layer," she answered, looking carefully at the glowing ice. "I used the glass of water on the table over there."

Orochimaru looked over to the now frozen glass that had once held water, before gazing back at the nude woman with cold eyes. "What do you plan on doing?"

"Exercising." She made the ram handsign with a wide grin on her face. The ice above the two began to crack, and flakes fell onto the Sannin's shoulders and in his hair. By the time he looked up, a thousand ice-senbon were heading his way. He jumped and avoided the attack, only to see Haru wave her arm toward him. More senbon shot from the wall in front of him, cutting a few strands of hair as he dodged.

He began to grow frustrated at the way she grinned at him, like it was a joke. She was attacking him, and in his own home, no less. She had him continue to dodge senbon until he was mere inches from her.

At this point, he felt a few of the blasted weapons pierce both of his feet. He growled in frustration. He could see the amusement in her eyes.

"You're not fighting back," she said, tightening her towel again.

He grabbed her wrist. "Don't underestimate me," he snapped, and pulled a kunai from his weapon pack. He licked the blade lightly before slicing her palm deeply.

Her eyes widened and her grin faded. She watched as the deep crimson dripped from her Konoha tattoo to the icy floor. She grimaced. They would all think of her as a traitor now, as the mark looked too perfect, too deliberate.

"How dare you?" she half-yelled. "I'll kill you for that!"

He heard the ice behind him begin to shift. His eyes widened. Her chakra spiked in rage. He turned his head slightly to see a large ice spike forming on the wall, ready to be launched and plunged into his back.

He tried to move, but the ice-senbon in his feet had bent back into the floor, leaving him glued in place. Haru's grin returned, and she chuckled lowly, moving away and to the side.

"I'll finish you, unlike my husband," she said. "I'll make sure that you're no longer a threat to anyone; not the village, my son, or me. No more."

She watched slowly as the spike in the wall was completed. There wasn't enough ice for her to make it very quickly. With a wave of her finger, the ice began to fly.

It was like slow-motion in her eyes. She began to think about how much better things would be if this actually worked. She could go back to Konoha, and be with her family, be happy. Everything would be normal again. She could see all her old students, and go on team missions.

She wondered why Orochimaru wouldn't fight back. Why he wasn't even resisting, just looking shocked. He just stood there, waiting. It began to bug her as the spike moved toward him across the large room. Why was he just letting her do what she wanted? Didn't he care if she killed him or not?

He looked toward her. That look in his eyes again… almost like he cared. It made her heart accelerate in her chest. Was he satisfied with this? Or was he going to just transform, as he had with Sasuke, and kill her?

Something in the back of her mind told her to stop. That she couldn't hurt him. That she didn't want to hurt him, even though he'd put her through hell her entire life. She deserved no better, as she had helped him with many of his evil schemes.

She wasn't sure how it happened, but her body began to tremble, and her arm lifted itself and stopped the spike just as the tip cut through Orochimaru's clothing. It fell to the floor and shattered, sending ice all over. She felt a shard leave a scrape on her cheek, but ignored it. It wasn't going to bleed or anything, anyway.

She looked down at her bloody towel. Her body was moving on its own. The ice began to leave the snake-nin's feet, returning his freedom to move. She walked toward him slowly, though her mind was screaming to the ice to destroy him. Something in her was resisting, though. It was almost like she'd been brainwashed.

When he began to scream at her, to make a handsign to cast her into a Genjutsu, she wrapped her arms around him and kissed him hard on the mouth, her heart pounding in her ears. Blood began to drip down the Sannin's back, but he didn't care. He reached up to grab the kunuoichi on either side of her face, turning his face slightly to completely lip-lock with her and deepen the kiss.

The towel was off of her in minutes. They moved to the still-frozen bed. He was amazed at how well-toned her body was after childbirth. She must've worked on it for months after having her son.

She was easily excited, he noticed, as her legs were wrapped around his waist and she ground hard into his hips. He groaned slightly in her neck, before moving down to her breasts.

He took a nipple into his mouth, sucking on the morsel hard. She moaned his name loudly, and he reached up to pinch the other. He was brought to the edge when he asked for more, and then grinned against her soft skin.

He stood and looked down at her with mischief in his eyes. He quickly placed the chakra bonds on her wrists.

"As punishment, I will not allow your release," he said with a chuckle. "Maybe next time, ne?"

She glared at him, pulling at the chakra suppressors with all her might. He stared down at her another moment before reaching for her bleeding hand.

He lapped up the blood in her palm, and even squeezed it to make it bleed more. She shivered. "Get rid of this ice and dress yourself," he said huskily. "You have to leave the day after tomorrow; you should rest."

She nodded, her eyes still clouded with lust. She began to clear her head with thoughts of home. Of her son. Her friends. Even her husband, but picturing his face made her curse mark ache.

She looked down at her bloody hand, noting that she would have to hide the mark. She wondered why she'd stopped herself from killing him. Her body had reacted on its own will, and the back of her mind had been screaming at her to stop and let him live.

Was she becoming attached? The thought made her blush darkly with embarrassment. She watched as the ice in the room faded away, now that the presence of her chakra had disappeared completely, and got up to head to the bathroom for a first-aid kit.

Did she care whether Orochimaru lived or died? Had he brainwashed her without her even knowing it? She tried not to think about it, quickly bandaging her hand and dressing into a long grey tee and black underwear. Orochimaru was waiting for her in bed.

"Why did you stop?" he asked, watching her intently as she climbed into the bed with him. He honestly was curious.

"My body moved on its own accord, Orochimaru-sama," she said quietly. Her chocolate eyes were blank. "And something… in the back of my mind… told me to let you live."

She turned onto her side, curling into a ball. Orochimaru's golden orbs widened, staring at her as she slowly fell asleep. He had to hold back his chuckle. She was learning to care, to develop feelings for him. It had only been a month, and he'd gotten so far. He had expected her to be a little more stubborn and resistance, but she was submitting to him just fine. Using her son had been perfect.

_And soon_, Orochimaru thought, pulling the girl to him to spoon with her, _she'll be all mine, and will never want to return to her dear **Sasuke**_.

She mewled in her sleep, almost like she was agreeing. He closed his eyes, reveling in her warmth and caressing the soft skin of her outer thigh.

It was going to be a long week without her, he knew. But he was well prepared. As sleep took him, he whispered one last word into the kunuoichi's ear:

"_Mine_."


	9. Chapter 9

**Hello there. I'm sure that the few of you that have read this have wondered why there hasn't been a full-on lemon with Orochimaru and Haru. One is coming quite soon. I'm just trying to make it PERFECT. Because I have issues like that. :P**

**Anyway, this is a very short chapter. But enjoy! Disclaimers in profile!**

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><p>The time finally came. Haru had a wide smile on her face as she dressed to go back to Konoha. Orochimaru stared with almost a sad look in his eyes. She grinned and half-hugged him.<p>

"I'll be back," she said in a low voice. "I'm keeping my end of the deal."

She tried to walk out the door, but he caught her by the wrist and looked into her eyes. "You're _mine_, Haru," he growled. "Don't you dare forget that while you're gone.

She nodded. He gently pried the chakra bonds off of her wrists. She walked away without another word.

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><p>She was gone. She'd even put on that wretched wedding ring on her way out. A coldness filled his mind. He walked away to his laboratory, wondering how his prisoners would entertain him while she was away.<p>

"Seven days, my friends," he called aloud to the half-dead people with a mad laugh. "For seven days, I shall get to know you so much better!"

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><p>As she began the three day journey, she could feel the snake Sannin's chakra spike in rage. She gulped and picked up the pace to a run, jumping up into the trees. They'd had a talk yesterday morning, and established the fact that he was a bit possessive over her, and she had an attachment.<p>

She claimed that this attachment was because he'd raised her as his own for a very long time. He'd just chuckled and agreed. His laugh had made her blush.

She tried to focus on getting home. Her curse mark didn't burn when she pictured her husband, who her heart throbbed to see desperately. She also missed her son very, very much. She wondered how he was getting along without her.

She began to tremble slightly in her run. What if Ichirou didn't recognize her anymore? What if in only a month he'd forgotten all about her? Was it possible that he had? She had to shake off the feeling. There was no way in hell he'd forget about his own mother that fast.

She sped up. She had to get home as quickly as possible.

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><p>Sasuke quietly dressed Ichirou, who almost seemed as anxious as he was. Haru was supposed to be arriving in just a moment. Everyone was preparing a party in the next room. He had to hide all of his excitement; he had a few plans over the next week.<p>

He smiled at all of the Konoha ninja who were gathered in his kitchen. Everything was decorated on the Uchiha compound, lit up with bright blue, orange, and pink lanterns.

He wondered if she would be different now. But when he saw her from a distance, walking slowly with her head held high and a small smile on her face, he knew that she hadn't really changed much at all.

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><p>The border guards let her through with no problem. She walked slowly. Only a few people stared, but even fewer greeted her. She kept her smile; she was going to get to see her son today, after all. And her husband.<p>

She used a small Genjutsu to hide the healing wound over her Konoha tattoo. It felt good to be able to use chakra again after so long. She had used a few jutsu from her Kekkei Genkai along the way just because she had the freedom of it, even though she hardly used those techniques so that she wouldn't feel different from anyone else.

She made it to the Uchiha compound to find her son and husband waiting at the entrance. Ichirou had grown so much, and she felt her smile grow wider. His dark eyes looked at her curiously, and she held her breath. Did he know who she was? She wasn't sure if he would; she had never been gone so long before.

She could see his dark eyes glitter with excitement, and he yanked his hand from his father's and ran as hard as he could to his mother.

"Mommy!" he cried happily, clinging to his mother's leg tightly. She picked him up, her happy tears beginning to downpour, and kissed the toddler all over his face. Sasuke followed his son slowly, wearing a small smile that Haru knew meant he was happy to see her.

She embraced him tightly with one arm, the other occupied with their son. She felt a single tear fall from his face into her hair. She wiped her eyes, slightly smearing the light bit of eyeliner she'd put on right after she bathed in a hot spring. He was silent as he led her by her hand into the master house of the compound, and into the kitchen.

A large colorful sign hung above the stove, reading "Welcome Home, Haru!", and a large cake sat on the table. Other Shinobi filled the room, smiling warmly at the new Uchiha family. They all shouted, in unison, "Welcome home!"

Naruto and Hinata were hand-in-hand. Tsunade was grinning almost deviously (_She must be drunk already_, Haru thought with an inward grin), while Lee and Neji just smirked. Kakashi, Guy, Sakura Ino, and even TenTen were there as well.

She began to cry again. Being brought up where she had been, she wasn't used to things like this. For birthdays, Orochimaru had always given her gifts, but the only parties that she'd ever had thrown was her engagement party and wedding reception. Everyone simply laughed and gave her hugs. Sakura began to cut the cake. Sasuke still didn't say anything, just stood with his arm around her, that smile never leaving his face. There were no gifts, but it wasn't like she cared. Everyone sat and drank sake, like she hadn't been caught and sold off into the arms of the most dangerous man in the world.

The party went smoothly. She caught up with everyone and made arrangements to have lunch and go shopping with the girls, Tsunade agreed to let her start teaching first thing tomorrow, and she would train with Neji after school as well.

She was satisfied that they couldn't tell she'd changed. That she was becoming Orochimaru's loyal slave again, ready to obey his every whim. If they knew what the two had been doing, they wouldn't even look at her. They might even try to kill her. She had to be careful, trying to let them think that she wasn't becoming the person she'd been when she came to the village. She kept a few opinions to herself, stayed polite and almost timid. That was what she turned into when she came. It felt more natural to her. But being around the Sannin made her feel bold and strong, and she used those feelings to be outspoken and rude. It was very strange, in a way.

As the guests began to leave, Kakashi, Naruto, and Hinata stayed behind. She and Sasuke sat on the couch across from the one they had relaxed in, and they had small talk the entire time. Haru had put Ichirou to bed awhile back, after the sun had set, and was currently filling another glass of sake. Hinata left ate in the night.

"So, how is Oto?" Kakashi asked after a few minutes of silence.

Haru sighed, downing her cup. "Being a human treaty is never easy, Kakashi-san." She stared at the almost empty bottle. "I don't get to actually go out much. I'm usually…" she shuddered slightly, "in his home."

Naruto's hands became fists. "Gomen, Haru-chan," he said. "I tried to get him to negotiate so you could come home more-I tried for a whole week before you sent me the finalized contract-but he wouldn't have it." His eyes closed. He was very buzzed, Haru could tell. But then again, so was she. "Why does he want you so badly, anyway?"

She flushed, feeling something stir in her chest. "I'm not sure what brought it on," she answered, pouring what was left of the sake bottle into her cup. "Maybe he's always been attached to me, and just never said anything."

Naruto shrugged, and slowly stood. "Well, trade with the Land of Paddies is good to have, anyway. So I'm glad that at least the countries' conflicts are over."

The Hokage left after shaking hands with Sasuke and wishing them a good night. Kakashi sat on the couch still, staring hard at Haru. He hadn't drank a drop of alcohol all night. Haru yawned; she didn't really care much if he stared at her or not. She was just ready to get a hot shower and go to sleep.

"What's he doing out there, Haru?" the masked nin asked. "What's he planning?"

Haru shrugged. Kakashi's stare turned instantly into one of those "if-looks-could-kill" looks. Sasuke put his arm protectively around his wife's shoulders.

"She's exhausted, Kakashi," he said coldly. "If you have to interrogate my _wife_, at least let her rest at home for one night."

"She's been leisurely talking, eating, and drinking all evening, Sasuke." the older man snapped. "Naruto may not be worried about this, but I don't want her to become a double-agent."

"He doesn't tell me his business, Kakashi-sama," Haru quickly interjected. "He doesn't trust me enough to let me into his home without chakra supressors. What makes you think that I know what he's got up his sleeve?"

"Then why is he even keeping you there?" he questioned.

Haru felt a faint flush across her cheeks. She looked down toward the floor. "I just don't want anyone to die," he continued. This struck a chord. Her eyes snapped to him. How dare he say that he doesn't want anyone to die when he'd killed her brother at fifteen? Even if it had been an accident, she still held disdain for him. "I don't want to kill anyone else, and-"

"Just like you killed Haku?" she interrupted, venom dripping from every word.

They exchanged glares for a long time. Haru stood, her husband staring at her with wide eyes. She wasn't usually that blunt, especially with an elder.

"Did you think about how I felt about you the day we met, Kakashi?" Her hands became fists. She felt her curse mark pulse, but held it back. This wasn't a place to fight. Hatred coursed through her veins, and it made her vision blurry. But that could have been the alcohol. "I was there when you killed my brother. You do remember that we were twins, right?" She leaned over to get in the masked nin's face. "I was on my way to visit him on that day. I felt the pain he felt. I felt his soul leave this world." She then let out a small laugh. "I felt it, and I don't even believe in souls! Can you believe something like that? I, who was brought up by Orochimaru, who is surprisingly religious, believe in nothing of the sort. But I felt it that day. I felt the tears he never cried. You took everything from him. I was going to get him to come with me. And you took away his only chance of getting away from Zabuza."

She paused, straightening up. It felt good to let those words out, as she couldn't years ago. Kakashi looked at her, sadness in his visible eye. She unclenched her hands. The gash on her palm was beginning to bleed again. She had to change it quickly without them knowing.

"Get out of my house before I throw you out," she growled, and walked away quickly, running to get to the first-aid kit in the bathroom.

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><p>Kakashi left without a second glance at Sasuke. He stared in the direction that his wife had went with wide eyes.<p>

Just a month with that snake had changed her. She was just like she'd been when he'd met her-outspoken, bold. He felt something twist in his stomach.

He changed for bed and decided to wait for her. She came into the room wearing only one of his old t-shirts. She smiled at him and crawled into the bed that felt so empty when she was gone.

He leaned over and kissed her for the first time that night. She immediately groaned against him, her hands intertwining at the back of his neck.

Their kisses became hotter. Soon he was on top of her, pulling the old shirt from her body roughly. He gazed upon her for the first time in a month, and realized how much he'd missed looking at her almost every night like this.

As he leaned down to kiss her neck, his fingers reaching down to play with that sweet spot, she backed away from him.

When he looked up, he saw panic in her eyes. "We can't," she said.

"What?" he asked, sitting up straight.

"What if Orochimaru-sama finds out?"

He cocked his head to the side. She'd said that the first time they'd had sex, when they'd taken each other's innocence. She had been so scared that the Sannin would kill them both if he found out. She'd been paranoid the whole time. But they had been so young, only seventeen and fifteen (Haru being older, as Haku was older than Sasuke). They weren't sure how to do things then, but now they knew exactly what the other liked.

"Haru, Orochimaru isn't here," he said softly, replaying the memory in his mind.

"He could be watching, you never know," she whispered back, sitting up to wrap her arms around his neck. "We can't fight him alone, Sasuke. You know we can't. He'll have our heads."

He kissed her forehead, leaning her back down. His hand slowly returned to her, his middle finger sliding into her slick cavern. "Calm down, Haru," he said. "I won't let him hurt us. He won't find out, I promise."

"He almost killed me when he found out about us, Sasuke."

"Everything will be okay," he cooed. He kissed her again before she could protest. He wasn't going to relive the past. They were two different people back then.

He took her slowly. She was so tight it was unreal. He'd missed how her muscles felt clenching around his member, how she moaned his name and scratched his back.

She was most beautiful to him when her face was in pure ecstasy when he fucked her. Not that she wasn't beautiful all the time to him, but this was when she was at her peak. Breasts bouncing and hair encircling her, her shaven pussy taking him all in, inch by inch. It was his haven to have her.

When they were done with their deeds, she seemed to have relaxed. She fell asleep on his chest almost immediately afterward, mumbling "I love you" before beginning to snore softly.

He chuckled and wrapped his arms around his naked wife. It was good to have her back. The hole in his heart had been filled again. Everything felt right. He went into a deep slumber with a smirk on his face.


	10. Chapter 10

**Hello! Yes, another late update and a semi-short chapter! I've been busy working with school and my military stuff, not to mention some more personal things. I'm working on other chapters, though, so don't worry. I'll hopefully be posting more chapters soon. **

**Please R&R! Thanks! Disclaimers in profile!**

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><p>"<em>Sasuke, wait, we shouldn't do this."<em>

"_What on earth are you talking about?" He'd never felt this kind of contact before. He found himself becoming more and more surprised as his hands explored her soft skin. "There's nothing wrong with what we're doing."_

"_But… Orochimaru-sama…"_

"_Don't think about Orochimaru," he hissed. "This isn't about him. This is about you and me, and what is happening between us." He found what he was searching for and pinched lightly. Her cries echoed throughout the room. _

"_Please, he'll kill us both," she whispered, her breathing heavy. "It's all over for us if-" His lips quieted her protests. She seemed wet enough to him, and he carefully positioned himself over her. He kept his hand over her mouth._

"_Try not to make much noise," he whispered against her jaw. "I promise I'll be as gentle as I possibly can. We can't get caught, not right now."_

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><p>Sasuke awoke to an empty bed. He shook his head, running his fingers through his hair. Last night had been familiar enough that he had dreamt about the night he'd taken his wife's virginity. How scared and worried she'd been if the Sannin were to find out about their actions that night.<p>

He'd snuck into her room, he remembered, and confessed his attraction to her. She'd blushed, speechless for the first time since he'd met her. When she had confessed the same, he'd acted on his many fantasies he'd based around her.

The next day had been interesting as well. They didn't see each other all day, as Orochimaru had sent Haru away on a mission to the Land of Birds for some research. When she'd returned nearly a week later, a few scratches here and there, Sasuke had decided he wanted Haru to be his girlfriend.

Sasuke got out of bed to jump into the shower. Their early relationship had been anything but normal. The only time they spent any real time together had been during meals or training. Every now and then, though, one of them would sneak into the other's room. This had only taken place when Orochimaru was away, leaving Kabuto to care for the teenagers.

He laughed at the thought. Kabuto hadn't been much of a caretaker for either of them. He'd let the two run wild as they pleased, so that he could do his own research and experiments.

The hot water hit his back and he groaned. Hot showers had always been his haven. He continued his thoughts of his and Haru's secret relationship until he walked outside, being greeted by a smiling Naruto and a very hyper Ichirou in the yard.

"What is it, Hokage-sama?" he asked, rubbing his eyes. He was still sleepy, even after sleeping so well.

"Don't be so formal," the blond said with a grin. "I'm here to visit. Talk to Haru about a few missions and such."

"You have a mission for her already?"

"There are things that only she qualifies for, Sasuke. So those are the missions that I will send her on."

"What sort of missions will you send her on, then?"

Naruto grinned again. "Those are top-secret."

Haru came rounding the corner at this time, a lazy smile on her face. Sasuke smirked at her. "Haru-san!" Naruto called, and ran toward her, causing Ichirou to spin slightly. Luckily, Sasuke bent down to catch the toddler before he fell and caused a ruckus. Haru greeted Naruto with a small nod, her smile widening slightly.

"I have a mission for you!" he said.

"Oh, must be important, if you came all the way out here to bring it," she answered with a laugh. Naruto brought a scroll from his Hokage coat pocket and handed it to the kunuoichi. Haru opened it with ease, obviously not expecting anything difficult.

After reading for a moment, her eyes widened. "You want me to _what_?" she growled, rolling the scroll up and shoving it in the blond's face. "You must think I'm stupid! Why on earth would I do something like-"

"Let's talk about this in my office, alright?" Naruto interrupted, his face growing stern. "I understand that this is going to be difficult for you, but you'll do fine. You've had to do something like this before."

"But do you understand how far I'll have to take this?" she half-yelled. "This isn't a normal type of-"

"Once again, my office," he interjected again. "I think it's best that this stay between you and I."

As Naruto turned to walk away, she called, "Who suggested this to you?"

The Hokage shrugged, turning back to grin at her. "We all did. Two weeks ago."

Haru stared at Sasuke, who just looked confused. He had no idea what that dobe was talking about. He instead looked toward his son, who was now trying to get off the wooden deck to go play with the flowers in the garden. Haru helped him down.

"Did you know about this?" she asked after a moment of silence.

"I have no idea what's going on," he answered. She looked at him with disdain for a moment, but then her gaze softened. And she sighed softly.

"Oh. Okay, then." She kissed him on the cheek. "After I make lunch, I'm going to go see Tsunade, alright?" she said, her smile returning. "We should get her to babysit and go out to eat tonight."

The Uchiha smiled back at her. "Of course," he said, and stretched. At least he didn't have to deal with that nanny's cooking for a whole week.

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><p>"<em>What<em>?" Tsunade exclaimed, her empty bottle of sake falling to the floor. Haru retrieved it before her son could get his paws on it, replacing it on the table. "They really want you to _seduce _that pervert for information?"

Haru was blushing a dark red. She nodded. "It won't be that difficult," she replied. "He already knows that I have to do whatever he wants, no matter how much I protest. We've already-"

"Don't tell me you've-"

"Oh, _hell_ no! We've just…. Done a few things. That's all."

The retired Hokage grinned. Haru sighed. Tsunade was the only one that she could trust with this kind of information.

Konoha, naturally, thought that the Sannin was up to no good. Since they noticed his obsession with Haru, they thought it would be best if she got as intimate with him as possible. Sexually, even. The scroll had said to give all information that she could gather. All she had to do was bat some eyelashes, gain his trust, and lose her bitter attitude toward being his prisoner for three weeks at a time.

"I don't want to do this," Haru said quietly. "It doesn't look like you have a choice, Haru-chan," the woman replied. "I'm sure that you'll be fine if you give it a shot. Just act like you enjoy what he does to you."

"But that wouldn't be an act."

She gave her a funny look for a moment. "Then act like you enjoy being there with him."

Haru became ashamed of herself. "There was a moment in the past month where I did enjoy it, very much."

"Are you serious?"

"Dead serious." She began to think about the day she'd attacked Orochimaru. "The day I returned to Oto after bringing the finished contract to Konoha, I tried to kill him. He'd forgotten to seal my chakra. And I almost had him, Tsunade." Her vision blurred as she felt her eyes moisten. "I almost had him… At least, I thought I did. But I stopped myself."

"Why?" Tsunade just looked concerned, not a hint of that legendary rage on her face.

"I don't know." Haru felt a sob coming on, but bit her lip to hold back. "Something just felt… Wrong. I didn't want to kill him anymore. And I stopped myself. My body acted on its own, apart from my mind."

"That's odd. You don't think you're getting attached, do you?"

"God, I hope not…"

They played with Ichirou for awhile, trying to focus on something other than the conversation about the Sannin. Haru didn't tell Tsunade about the awkward foreplay with Sasuke. She just felt the need to be alone. Naturally that would be impossible with her son around, but that was alright. She had missed Ichirou and was more than willing to spend every second of the next seven days with him.

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><p>Night had fallen long ago. Ichirou was sleeping soundly. Everything was quiet, except for a few birds chirping every now and again. Haru hadn't come to bed yet. Sasuke sat there reading a very boring book for awhile, but it wasn't occupying the Uchiha at all. He was too curious about where in the compound his wife was.<p>

He stood, slipping out the door quietly. He couldn't hear her at all, but he could sense her chakra close by. She was still in the house.

He walked slowly to the room where he'd often bowed before his late father, where all the meetings between parent and child took place. It was hard to believe that maybe one day he would be sitting in the same place.

Her chakra was below. His eyes widened. He didn't remember showing Haru that place. That place that his older brother had told him about years ago. The floorboard was already moved. He crept down the steps with ease. Her presence was getting stronger. He paused at the sight of a frozen spider hanging on a frozen web. Even the moth that had gotten caught was frozen in the web as well. He wondered what would have caused Haru to do such a thing.

He continued at a slower pace. It was growing cold. As he neared the familiar stone altar, candles already lit to bring in some light, he saw his wife sitting in the center of the room, her long black hair combed straight. He noticed that her blood-red highlights were gone, where they had been only hours ago. When had she dyed it back?

He stayed silent. She was concentrating deeply. Chakra was almost visible as it flowed around her. Everything was cold. He could feel the air grow thin and crisp, like winter.

She was doing _that _training. She must have chosen down here because the air had plenty of moisture, being underground. He remembered when she'd had to carry a water canteen just to use her Kekkei Genkai in the desert. It was a problem she'd encountered only once. But she didn't need to use her skill anyway. She had other fighting talents that didn't require her water or ice releases. But pulling the very water molecules from the air was something she'd never been able to accomplish, due to lack of patience and concentration. She would rather be out practicing attacks.

Orochimaru had constantly scolded her for not trying hard enough. Was he doing the same thing now, or was Haru finally realizing the benefits of using that ability?

The air moved around them in a soft breeze. She must have heard him coming, for she turned around, her eyes barely open. She had a small grin on her face.

"It's not ice yet," she said, her gentle voice almost a whisper. "Watch."

He could feel the humidity decrease. Bright ivory snow began to fall. As he reached out his hand, he noticed that it wasn't melting. Another gift of the Kekkei Genkai; the ice hardly melted even when faced with extreme heat.

He smiled softly at her. She was making progress. She never could even accomplish this whenever she stayed with the Sannin years ago.

"What's bringing this kind of training on, eh?" he asked. His voice, though quiet, seemed to echo throughout the room.

"I'm not sure," she said. "It's peaked my interest."

"You've frozen almost everything in here; there must be something else behind it all."

"No, not exactly," she said quietly, and turned to face him. "I'll be in bed soon; I want to see what kind of progress I can get in one night."

"You don't have the concentration to make it much further; you might not be able to do more than make it snow."

She turned her back to him, facing the Uchiha crest on the wall again. "I know. But I'd still like to try."

"Is Orochimaru mentioning it to you again?" he asked. That bastard would try and torment her by taunting her inabilities. "You don't need to worry about it; you don't need that kind of power."

"That's not what you used to say," she said. "What if I get sent to Suna? I don't want to have to use my drinking water."

"Use the water inside your enemy's body."

"I plan to work on that next," she answered through gritted teeth, turning to face him again. "I have to get better at this, you know. I have to become a better Shinobi."

He hesitated before responding to her, but he had to say it. He didn't know what had happened in the past three weeks, but it couldn't have been good if she was trying this. She'd abandoned it when they left that snake… together. They had been together. "So he'll acknowledge you?"

"Shut up," she snapped back. Anger flared in her eyes. The snow fell hard to the ground and began to come together to form ice. A few ice senbon appeared between her fingers. "I don't need to be acknowledged by him."

"_That's not what you used to say_," he said the words with as much venom as he could. So he had said something to her. He wished he'd found out about his existence sooner. She would be the same as she was before she left, not practicing pointless jutsu he knew she couldn't learn.

"I don't crave his attention like a little kid," she hissed. "I'm a grown woman with a family to think about. Excuse me if I'm thinking of new ways to protect myself."

"You should worry about your heat strokes; take two canteens of water to Suna if you ever go. One can be used for jutsu if you ever need it."

"Heat strokes are the least of my concerns!"

"They should be; you used to faint all the time if you got too hot."

"I'm sorry I'm from a naturally cold place and the heat is _still_ foreign to my body after twenty years!" she shouted, turning away and plopping back down onto the wooden floor. He sighed. He'd messed up. Pissing her off sent her into a nearly unbearable tantrum sometimes. It wasn't something he felt like dealing with.

"I'll sleep on the couch tonight," he said, turning away to go back up the stairs.

"Don't bother," she stated. "I'll be in here all night."

His onyx eyes turned to meet her almost-hazel ones for only a second. He shrugged slightly as he ascended the steps, not going to argue.

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><p>He waited until she'd fallen asleep to move her into the bed. He moved to the couch. In the morning, he knew, she would be in a much better mood.<p>

"The things I do for love," his voice echoed into the room, draping his arm over his closed eyes. The couch wasn't terribly uncomfortable to sleep on, but he did prefer the bed. Sleep came soon for his exhausted mind; he had a mission early in the morning anyway.


	11. Chapter 11

**Hello, all! I must admit, I did have some fun while writing this chapter. But I did, in fact, reveal a spoiler as to what would happen later in the story. So sorry to ruin it for you. Fortunately, there will be a twist, just as there is in all of my stories. XD **

**Anyway, I hope that you enjoy this chapter! Please R&R!**

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><p>Haru awoke slowly but didn't open her eyes. The hardwood floor was much more comfortable now than it had been last night. She rolled over and spread out to stretch. Yes, it was way softer than before. And she even had a blanket now.<p>

"So soft," she mumbled. One eye opened to reveal that she was in her bedroom, not the secret basement in her home. She sat up, wondering when she'd woken up to get into bed.

She could smell bacon in the kitchen. Her mouth began to water. She threw all thoughts of how she got to the bed away and jumped out of bed. She knew that Sasuke was making breakfast, like he usually did early in the morning, and it made her smile.

When she made it to the kitchen, he was making French toast. She licked her lips at the heaping plate of bacon beside him. Ichirou wasn't awake yet; he must have been letting the toddler sleep late here lately. Sasuke looked up from the stove and smiled at her. She felt time slow. Her heart pounded in her ears.

She knew that smile anywhere.

"You moved me last night?" she whispered, tears threatening to pour any minute. He only shrugged, looking back toward the skillet on the stove. The smile never left his face.

She didn't care about the stupid argument they'd had the night before. She focused on what he did. She'd been such an ass to him, and he moved her to the bed and, more than likely, didn't even join her. He might have slept on the couch.

"I love you so much, Sasuke," she said quietly.

"I love you, too," he almost whispered, putting another piece of toast in the pan. She grabbed a few pieces of bacon and watched him. His hair was particularly messy, and he had faint circles under his eyes.

"You didn't have to sleep on the couch last night."

"Well, you were tired, and we'd just gotten through arguing. I didn't want you to get sick. And you needed your space after your tantrum."

The last part was a joke, she knew, but right on cue, she sneezed softly and yet suddenly. She blushed. She'd already caught a mild cold. Sasuke looked at her, one eyebrow raised. "See?" he said, a hint of humor in his voice. "You don't need to do that, at least not in that basement."

"Yes, sir," she said, rolling her eyes, and then sneezed again. She was already frustrated. She ran to the bathroom to go get some allergy medicine, hoping it would help her get through the day.

* * *

><p>The medicine had helped a little, but she might has well have been a smoker from the cough she'd gotten. Sakura, the familiar pinkette Haru had acquainted over the past few years, was giving Ichirou a checkup. She observed Haru closely. "Got a cold?" she asked casually.<p>

Haru grinned. "You'd think that since I'm from a freezing climate, I wouldn't get them," she said. "But I do every now and again." She coughed again. "I just hope that he won't get it."

Her eyes turned toward her son, who was sucking on his lollipop thoughtfully. "Just don't let him eat or drink after you until that cough goes away," she replied curtly. Haru raised a sculpted eyebrow. Sakura was being short with her, and that was very unusual. She'd gotten over Sasuke quite some time ago, and she'd said earlier that she'd had a date with Aburame Shino the night before. It almost got under Haru's skin.

Ichirou stayed quiet through-Haru thanked the gods-his booster shot. He received another lollipop for being so good. On her way out, Sakura walked with her, occasionally stopping to sign a clipboard from a nurse. She really had grown into a considerable Shinobi, as Haru had heard from her husband that she'd been totally useless years ago as a Genin.

When they reached the hospital doors, Haru turned to the kunuoichi. "Thank you again, Sakura-chan," she said. "You're honestly the only doctor I trust touching my son."

"Yeah, I do what I can," the pinkette answered with a smug look on her face, "even if it is someone who's cheating on her husband with the village's enemy."

Sakura's look of confidence was quickly melted away when Haru's warm smile turned into an icy glare. "How dare you say such a thing, and in front of my child?" she growled.

She honestly thought that Sakura knew better than that. Haru had almost killed the woman in just sparring with her forbidden jutsu. Sakura had commented more than once that she didn't want to be in a real battle with the former apprentice of Orochimaru, even if she had been the apprentice of one of the other Sannin.

"I didn't mean that," she said quickly. "I mean… Naruto said something about turning this into a mission, and… I know the only way is to…"

"You don't know anything about my situation," Haru snapped, frightening the toddler in her arms for a moment. "All you do is sit in this hospital all day long. At least I'm not surrounded by pain and suffering." Oh, but she _was_. Her husband's, and her own. "Don't you _ever_ make an assumption about me. If I was to do something out of context, I would probably confide it to you and the other girls at the bar. Not in a hospital."

Sakura almost looked guilty. Something strange swam in pale green eyes that Haru was unsure of. "I would never cheat on my husband. Especially not with the likes of Orochimaru. So you need to keep your opinions to yourself and know all the facts before making an outburst. You're only going to look like the fool in the end."

Haru turned to walk away. She heard Haru call "I'm sorry" out to her, and Haru just rose her arm into the air in a casual wave, not looking back. She headed to the Hokage estate, needing to meet with Naruto about yesterday's "assignment."

* * *

><p>"Naruto, I don't think I can do this," she said.<p>

"I think you can."

"That would be adultery. Sasuke would never forgive me."

"I understand, but don't worry. There's something you can sign…"

"I'm not signing my marriage away just to seduce some _freak_ like Orochimaru."

Naruto was looking through her file. Ichirou was making his way around the room, Hinata playing with him while they talked. The two had been in a heated argument for quite some time.

"You've signed the contract to go on seduction missions already," he said, looking at her file. Naruto always had files out when talking to Shinobi, as he could sometimes forget some details about his own comrades. "It's still valid for another year."

"I'm no longer a Konoha Shinobi when I'm in Oto borders."

"That's not entirely true. The contract didn't say anything about you not going on Konoha missions when you are there."

Haru rolled her eyes. "I can't do it," she said, hopefully finishing the argument.

"It's not a request anymore." The Hokage's sapphire blue eyes were now cold and serious. "It's an order."

After she'd lectured Sakura on outbursts, Haru then made one herself. "You wouldn't have to order me to sleep with him, Hokage-sama."

She suddenly blushed. Naruto's eyes lost their glare, replaced with widened shock. "I mean…" she tried to make this less awkward. "I have to obey his every whim anyway… no matter how much I cry, or protest… I have to comply, or he'll take my son."

Naruto nodded in understanding after a moment before eyeing her curiously. "He hasn't… Has he?"

"No, we haven't done that," she said, looking over toward her son. Hinata was taking all of this in, Haru knew, but the Hyuga simply kept her attention to the little boy in front of her. "He refuses to make me more uncomfortable than necessary."

"That's good," Naruto said, sighing. "Imagine the rage Sasuke would go into if he'd make you have-"

"Let's not talk about that anymore," Haru interrupted. "I'll take the mission if you honestly think it's required to get information."

"Of course." Naruto's grin was back on his face. Haru forced a smile back to him. "I'm telling you, if you can get him to trust you fully, and you can access his information, we could maybe prevent a war."

She nodded, before standing from her chair. She wanted to go home. "I will do what I can for the village," she said.

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><p>Every time he closed her eyes he saw her face. She'd been overly-friendly when she'd left, even hugging him on her way out the door. The thought made him smile. She was finally letting down her cold walls and opening up to his love for her.<p>

And that was exactly how he wanted it.

He could make her love him more than that damned _Uchiha_, and then he could be with her forever. She'd only been gone for three days and it was too much for him. He half-considered going to Konoha himself to check on her, but changed his mind.

He was already mad for the woman. No need to anger her by making himself into more of a lunatic.

He laughed loudly at the thought of being even crazier, his voice echoing throughout his laboratory. Forbidden scrolls hung on the walls, books scattered the tables and even the floor. He was covered in blood. A man lay dead at his feet, and he was okay with that. Toying with these scum were one of the only ways to take his mind off of the kunuoichi for awhile. He sighed and sat down, wondering what she'd say if she saw this mess.

She'd probably disagree with his actions, screaming at him, pleading with him to never do this again, before running out to vomit. She'd done it her entire life of living with him, and had never gotten used to it. But she'd never talked to any of the men he kept in this prison.

He knew that it would only have hurt her more if she did. She might have gotten attached, and when that person died, she'd hate him.

That was when he began to think for a moment. "Does Haru hate me, you think?" he asked aloud, looking toward the dead man at his feet. "Do you think that maybe she hates me for putting her through so much just so I can have her to myself?"

As selfish as it was, Orochimaru didn't see the problem with it. As long as he could wake up beside her every morning, it was okay if she hated him. As long as the woman bent to his will and submitted to him in the end, it was okay if she hated him. He really did love it when she resisted, but seeing her surrender in his eyes drove him to the edge.

He bit his lip. What if she didn't hate him? What if she learned to love him, and didn't have to surrender anymore? It made his heart ache with need, so much that he grasped at his chest, knowing that maybe she could love him for being such a monster.

"That would be fine, too," he crossed his legs and looked up at the high ceiling. It was so dark that he couldn't hardly see anymore. "As long as I have her, I don't suppose it matters whether she's willing or not."

He stepped out and into the normal house, blood dripping down from his fingertips as he walked. He needed a shower. He would have one of his mindless drones clean up his mess later. He had other things to do, like paperwork.

He groaned at the thought of paperwork, turning on the shower in his own bathroom. Running a village wasn't much fun anymore, even if it was just an organization of his own minions doing odd jobs for him. The money was good, but it was hardly worth the boredom.

He sighed, letting the hot water hit his face and travel down his neck to his bare chest. Haru had to come back soon so he could have something positive to focus on besides paperwork and science.

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><p>Haru sneezed at the dinner table, muttering "excuse me" every few minutes as she did so. She could barely breathe, and it was making her miserable. She could tell that her oh, so loving husband was holding back laughter at her suffering. "This is so-" <em>ahhh-choo!<em> "-not funny, Mister."

"Oh, but it is," Sasuke said with a chuckle. "I'm sorry, I should have convinced you to come up instead of fighting."

"Don't blame yourself, people make mistakes all the time."

"Still."

Ichirou enthusiastically threw a spoonful of mashed potatoes at his father, hitting him square in the forehead. Haru nearly fell out of her chair, bursting with hysterical laughter. It wasn't every day that the legendary Uchiha Sasuke was caught off guard by an eleven-month-old baby.

"So not funny," he said, wiping his face, his cheeks flush with embarrassment.

"Oh, but it is," she said through her laughter, struggling to eat for the rest of the night. She'd never seen anything so funny in her entire life.

* * *

><p>The next day, Haru had a checkup for herself. But, as she was angry with the young pink-haired medic, she decided to have Tsunade examine her instead, in her home. It was better than having to deal with the tension in the hospital. Plus, she was afraid that she might have the urge to kill the young kunuoichi.<p>

"So everything is well?" Tsunade asked. Haru had goosebumps feeling the Sannin's chakra wander about in her body, looking for anything that shouldn't be there.

"I feel great," she said, confidence in her eyes.

"Are you still on that birth control I prescribed after having Ichirou?" the Sannin asked, her eyebrow raising in curiosity. Tsunade still did work for the hospital, as there were no gambling facilities in Konoha, and drinking could sometimes grow boring.

"Uhhh…" Haru began, her face turning bright red. Tsunade pulled her hand away from her chest, her eyes widening.

"Are you serious?"

"I'm sorry, I got off of it a few months ago and-"

"Don't make excuses," Tsunade growled, her dark eyes glowing with frustration. "Why aren't you taking it?"

"Because… Before all of this stuff with Orochimaru…" Haru had to take a deep breath. "I want another baby."

Tsunade's jaw practically hit the floor. She didn't say anything for a moment, but then shook her head, replacing her glowing hand on Haru's body. "You do realize it's not a good idea to just suddenly stop taking birth control for ninja, correct?"

"Yeah, I get that."

"It's only going to increase your fertility tenfold."

"I started my period when I got home, Tsunade."

"I'm aware!" Now the retired Hokage was blushing herself. She was almost embarrassed. "I'm just saying. It will increase your chance of twins, also. You need to be careful." "It's not like I'm going to get pregnant by Orochimaru or anything," she scoffed, rolling her eyes at the idea. The last thing Orochimaru needed to do was procreate. The. _Very_. Last. Thing. Haru had to hold back a shudder of what kind of nightmare that would be.

"Then you need to go get a refill on that _now_. Especially with the type of mission you accepted yesterday."

"I'll make sure and do so before I leave."

"You better! If you have Orochimaru's baby, I swear-" "I'm not going to have a baby, Tsunade! Not unless it's by my husband! And I would never bring a child into this kind of situation, anyway."

The Sannin nodded and they spent the rest of the appointment chatting about nonsense. Tsunade wrote down a prescription for Haru to take to the hospital first thing before she left for Sound. Haru walked back slowly, thinking about how the next month with Orochimaru would be.

She suddenly felt the urge to buy condoms, just in case something were to happen to her.

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><p><strong>Well, there you have it! I'm going to start working on the next chapter right away, so please review. I'd really like to know how I can make this story better and more interesting. <strong>


	12. Chapter 12

**Hi, all! Another short chapter, and the next one won't be much longer, but I'm working on something very, very long. That will hopefully take the cake of this story. I hope that the people who've been keeping up with this are enjoying this story as much as I am. **

**Anyway, here is chapter 12 of I Hate Everything About You! XD**

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><p>It was over. It was time for her to go back to Oto already. Sasuke walked her to the village gates to see Orochimaru waiting there, just as he'd promised he would. The week hadn't been long enough for Haru.<p>

Her heart leapt when she saw him, and she felt guilty. She was attached to the snake nin when she was supposedly happily married with another man. Her cycle had ended the day before, and the two had been up late making constant love. Unfortunately, the last time, just as the sun had begun to rise, she felt something pour into her caverns. As she'd been on top, she knew it had been her fault for not paying attention. She only prayed to the gods that everything would be alright.

Her stomach began to flip-flop when Orochimaru grinned at her. That was when she realized, that deep down in the depths of her being, she needed to be taken out of the trance that Orochimaru had her under.

She flushed as she briefly recalled the awkward moment with Sasuke on her first night back. They both had relived something that they hadn't seen in years, something that they were supposed to have moved past a long time ago. Haru had to end this before it got worse, and they couldn't be intimate at all.

The Sannin smirked at her, as if knowing that she was thinking about that very thing, even though he had no idea what had happened under his very roof all those years ago. She kissed her husband goodbye, staring into this onyx orbs for a long while before separating from him. She crossed the village gates, watching as Orochimaru and Sasuke glared at each other before the Sannin turned to follow her back to Oto.

She thought about what the Hokage had said to her. Seducing Orochimaru to become a double agent so she could take Orochimaru down. If she gained his trust, she could easily kill him in an instant, finishing what Sasuke couldn't seven years ago.

She began to concentrate hard on this thought when it began to drizzle. The man next to her groaned, running a pale hand through his thick, dark locks. She hadn't even noticed that he'd placed his arm around her shoulders while they walked. As he was a good bit taller than she was, she knew he barely had to struggle to do so.

"I heard on the radio that it was going to rain for awhile in this area," he growled, as if struggling to attempt normal conversation. "Might be good for the earth, but if we're out here too long, we will fall ill."

She smiled. She had just gotten over her cold earlier that morning, but she wasn't about to tell him that she'd been reckless enough to get sick while training. "If you want, Orochimaru-sama, I can easily make it snow, or even _hail_ for you."

He shook his head at her joke. He'd always hated the bad weather.

She quickened her pace suddenly, figuring he was, in fact, in a hurry to get back. "Haru-chan!" he shouted, and chased after her. _He did say hurry, didn't he?_ she thought with a laugh as she quickly bounded into a tree, beginning to jump from branch to branch, feeling the cold wind against her skin.

This was a game to her, he noticed. Being prone to heat strokes, she preferred the cold weather. It seemed to uplift her mood.

She stopped and pulled off her long-sleeved overshirt, as if reacting to the Sannin's thoughts, only her tank top and her fishnet showing now. She closed her eyes as the cold droplets touched her skin and sent shivers down her body. Yes, the cold weather was good to her. _Cold_ was good to her, unless she was ready for a bath. That seemed to be the only time when she preferred the heat.

He appeared beside her. She didn't look at him. "I want to go home," she whispered.

"We just left," he hissed in reply. She could tell that he was offended by her statement. She cleared her throat to clarify.

"No, I want to go _home_," she emphasized the word and brought her right hand to her chest. "It's been three years since I've seen snow, Orochimaru-sama. Real snow, not the kind that I use in Genjutsu."

The Sannin sighed, placing a cold hand on the woman's shoulder. "One day," he said quietly and, almost to her astonishment, in almost an embarrassed tone, "I'll take you to a place where it snows all the time, Haru-chan."

She smiled at his lie. He was just trying to comfort her. He hated the snow more than anyone in the entire world. She was just a tiny bit curious as to why he would say such a thing, like he cared about how she felt. If he did, she wouldn't be leaving her husband and son right now, would she?

He touched her face. "I love your smile," he whispered.

She opened her eyes. He was gazing down at her with a look she didn't recognize, not from him. It was almost like a loving look, so adoring and acknowledging. He'd looked at her like he'd cared for her before, but she'd never seen him look so intense.

She backed away as much as she could on the branch they stood on. "We should get going."

The usual cold smirk came back to him, and he nodded. They ran together through the mud and rain, day and night, not having to really speak to each other much the entire way.

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><p>Memories flooded Sasuke's past as he put his son to bed. He couldn't help but think about it. Throughout the week, Haru had acted just like she had when they met, so much that it was scary.<p>

_Kabuto pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose as they walked down the stone, torch-lit hallways that was Orochimaru's lair. They could hear an occasional groan through the walls as they walked, and it made Sasuke shudder. He was really going to stay here for three years, until Orochimaru needed him as his vessel._

_They came into a large, empty room to see Orochimaru sitting in his own dark throne, amusement contorting his bold features. "Welcome, Sasuke-kun," he said, a small laugh in his voice. _

"_What's funny, sir?" Kabuto asked, raising an eyebrow. _

_A kunai buzzed past them and toward Orochimaru, the Sannin cocking his head to the side just in time for the blade to stick into the back of his chair._

"_Oh," said Kabuto, narrowing his eyes with disgust in his voice. This only caused Orochimaru to laugh more._

_Sasuke turned around and his eyes widened. A boy he'd known almost a year ago stood, smirking slightly. He recognized the feminine features of the boy his sensei had killed almost instantly. Had the snake nin brought him back? Why would he?_

_As the face emerged fully from the shadows, Sasuke noticed that the boy looked strangely different. The look in his eyes were not near as kind as before, but had a bold and dangerous look in them._

_But he wore a tank top and black shorts that were hardly at his thighs. His body had more curves, and he had… breasts? Had Kabuto turned the boy Haku into a woman for some kind of sick experiment?_

"_I swear, she hasn't even eaten breakfast yet, and already wants training," he heard Orochimaru hiss. "Sasuke, meet Haru. I know that you are already acquainted with her twin from the Mist Village."_

_The girl grinned, looking absolutely wild. Sasuke blushed, something he wasn't sure he'd ever done before. She was very pretty. She reached out to shake his hand. "Nice to meet you," she said quietly._

_Her hand was hot to the touch, and her voice was like bells. His gut twisted. _

"_Orochimaru-sama," she cried, looking toward the grinning pale man suddenly. "Please meditate with me today. I still can't focus on the water molecules in the air."_

_Sasuke was confused, looking to Kabuto for some form of guidance. "She has the Ice Release Kekkei Genkai, Sasuke-kun." He sighed, pushing his glasses up again. "Orochimaru-sama has been training with her for almost eleven years, since she was five. Her Ice Release is ten times as powerful as Haku's-her twin brother's-was before he died."_

"_Then why am I needed?" Sasuke questioned. _

"_She is _not_to be used as a vessel," Orochimaru stated, n ow standing behind the girl with a bony hand on her shoulder. "Sasuke-kun, explore your home today. Tomorrow we will begin your training." Sasuke noticed the Sannin's eyes glitter in fascination as he looked at Haru and led her away._

_When they were gone, Kabuto snorted in open disdain. _

"_That brat always gets what she wants," he spat. "I don't understand why he likes her so much."_

* * *

><p>The house was lonely when she was gone. Ichirou cried more when she wasn't constantly in his presence to smile at him or hug him or hold him. The air became cold in her bedroom just because she wasn't going to be there beside him anymore.<p>

It was like he was becoming an avenger again. His old mindset was coming back when she wasn't there, and he felt that soon he would be leaving Konoha again. Just to be with her, all the time.

* * *

><p>They returned to the house without trouble. He watched her sleep as he listened to the rain. He felt better now that she was back. He'd been almost lonely without her for an entire week to entertain him.<p>

This would be the week she would finally realize, he decided. It had only been a month, but he was becoming impatient. She was too stubborn just to accept the fact that she didn't belong to Sasuke anymore. He would have to go even further to ensure that she understood.

Even if it meant that he had to confess how he really felt. And god, deep down, he _really_ hated doing that.

He reached out and touched her sleeping arm. Her back was to him, but her steady breathing and slow heartbeat showed that she was sleeping. The blankets were at her feet, and she wore long-sleeved black pajamas.

Her skin was warm. She didn't stir. Orochimaru almost had his eyes closed when he heard her husband's accursed name come from her lips in a small whisper. He quickly withdrew his hand to run it through his shower-dampened hair.

_Why does she have to hurt be so badly?_ he thought. _It's bad enough that she married someone else, but to dream of them when she's sleeping in my house, in my bed?_

He sat for a long time pondering whether or not to just kill Sasuke or to kill Haru to rid himself of the burden of all these emotions. But to kill her would be the worst mistake of his life, he knew, and he himself would no longer be able to live. Not in a world without her.

She began to twist and shift around a bit in her sleep. Orochimaru watched her curiously, but did not move an inch. The air became cold around them and more humid. Haru gripped the velvet sheets in her fists, ice beginning to form at here touch. The curse mark on her neck flared but did not spread. Her facial expression changed a few times, her lower lip quivering.

She suddenly sat up, awaked by whatever had happened in whatever dream she'd had. She looked at the Sannin with wide eyes, tears beginning to pour down her face like a waterfall. The air became warm again. Before he could open his mouth and react, she had thrown herself into him, crying onto his bare, slightly scarred chest.

He slowly wrapped his arms around her tightly, kissing the top of her head. She sobbed for a long time, her arms around the snake-nin's neck.

"He won't love me anymore," she whispered through sobs. "I can't keep doing this to him. I can't destroy my family like this."

He chuckled lowly. "The thing is, my _Ha-ru_, is that you have no choice. Or I will destroy everything you love."

She stiffened. That was when he knew he'd at least let her know that she would have to lose everything. Lose her family, her husband, friends, and son, for this monster of a man.


	13. Chapter 13

**Hello! Again, sorry for the late update.**

**CITRUS CHAPTER! And for the people who hate Orochimaru (and the readers that have reviewed seem to), you may want to just read through until the first break and then only read the last three paragraphs. **

**Anywho, enjoy!**

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><p>"Meditate with me," she said bluntly.<p>

The Sannin looked up from his paperwork to see her in black shorts and a sky-blue sports bra. He swallowed. They had been home for two days, not being intimate, but arguing a whole lot about her confinement. He didn't put the chakra bonds back on her, but had a serpent watching her to make sure she wouldn't take off. This was the first time she'd demanded anything in two days without having something to do with releasing her from this "prison he tried to make into a home."

"I want to show you something."

He clucked his tongue with amusement, grinning at her. He knew what this was. "Have you mastered it, _finally_?" he asked with a laugh, thinking back to all the times she'd failed.

"Just watch!"

She'd already started heading down the hall and to the front door. Orochimaru followed close behind, rolling his eyes at her.

Haru never could reach the calm to show her true skills. Pulling the very moisture, the water _molecules_ from the air had always been difficult for her, even though she was so powerful. She couldn't ever focus enough to ever master pulling anything like ice from thin air.

They sat down in the clearing they'd trained in for most of her life. The sun was setting. _Has she been meditating all day_? he asked himself. He realized he hadn't seen her since breakfast, that she'd said she was going to do some training.

Her eyes were closed and he could sense her chakra swirling about her. He didn't move; she'd fight him if he interrupted her. She'd always gotten so upset when her concentration was broken, as it was so hard to get her to focus sometimes. So he sat and patiently waited for her to be ready.

Suddenly, while watching her chakra surround her, feeling the air change, he wondered why Haru would want to show him at all. She always talked about how much she hated Orochimaru, from the day he'd taken her away from her home almost twelve years ago. The thought of her feelings changing gave him chills. Maybe soon she wouldn't want to go back to Sasuke at all, or so he hoped. They could take her son and remain a part of Oto. If he child had the Sharingan, they could maybe even rule the world someday.

A strong wind suddenly hit, breaking the Sannin's thoughts. He gazed at the woman with wide eyes. The breeze caused her hair to whip wildly around here face as it centered on her. He could feel her chakra levels depleting; this was still difficult for her. He saw a mist form above her head. Her face was calm, and a small smile formed on her delicate lips.

He smirked. She still couldn't make weapons with this technique. But as the snow began to fall around her, and she opened her deep brown eyes, he was more proud of her than he'd ever been since he'd known her. She smiled brightly at him.

Something ached in his chest so much that he almost had to grasp it. It knocked the wind out of him, looking at her smiling at him like that. She was so breathtaking to him that it was unreal. He'd never wanted to spend his time with anyone else, _at all_, the way he did with her. She was suddenly his everything.

He lost control. Suddenly she was on the ground, the snow still falling gently, and his fingers intertwined with hers on either side of her face. Her eyes widened and her smile faded, and she gazed up at him with a confused look. He gazed back at her with a look she didn't recognize, at least not with him. She had never, ever seen him look at her that way before. She felt the fear in her gut grow, making her shiver. The snow became heavier, catching in the snake-nin's hair and on his clothes.

"Haru," he whispered. His voice was almost fearful. His usual sadistic demeanor had disappeared completely. His bright golden eyes searched hers, but she wasn't sure what he was looking for.

"I… I love you."

She felt her face become fire-hot. He almost looked kind when he smiled at her. Haru's head began to spin, but she wasn't sure why. Everything got blurry. She got nauseated and coughed a little.

The shock was a little too much, and she felt herself faint. Orochimaru chuckled above her, but she didn't hear him. _Tomorrow,_ he decided. _Tomorrow she will realize._

Things were going to go his way. She was going to belong to him if it was the last thing he did.

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><p>She felt heavy when she woke up. She rubbed her eyes as she slowly sat up from what she knew was Orochimaru's bed. How on earth had she been shocked into fainting? She'd never fainted before, not that she could remember. Unless it had been a genjutsu. She looked around to see that there was no sign of the former Sannin in the room.<p>

The chakra bonds were on her wrists, she noticed. Growling in frustration, she struggled to remove them. She had little success in so much as moving them.

"You're so beautiful, _Haru_." She quickly got out of bed. Orochimaru must have brought her back. _Wait_, she thought. _Orochimaru… did he…?_

It came crashing down in waves upon her then. He'd said that he loved her. _Loved_ her. And he'd been serious. Completely serious.

A pang of fear seared through her mind. She immediately bolted for the door. It was locked, and the damned chakra bonds had drained her so much that she didn't have the strength to break it down. She looked down. He'd changed her into a t-shirt and different shorts, both black. She stared around frantically.

"Orochimaru-sama," she cried, "is this genjutsu? Let me out of here."

"There is no trickery here," he answered from the shadows. She couldn't even sense his chakra signature. "It is time, my _Ha-ru_. Now, if you'll so kindly calm down and close your eyes."

She stood bravely, her fists growing so tight that she paled her knuckles. "Don't make me do this," she said. "I can't betray-"

"If you speak his name in my presence, I'll go kill him without a second thought."

She stopped completely. She didn't understand, it was that simple. She realized then that she never would understand.

He stepped from the shadows. His grin was that of a maniac, and his eyes glowed with excitement. His pearly white fangs shone brightly in the shadowy room.

He was wearing his black Jounin vest and black clothing. His thick tongue came out to lick the silky lips she knew where just itching with anticipation.

"Are you ready?" he asked with a laugh.

"Stay away from me, please," she almost whispered. Any lick of bravery that she had was gone now; all she felt was fear. She felt herself become slightly light headed and her knees go weak. "I'm not ready for this, I don't want this,"

"But you _do_," he purred, taking a step closer, causing her to take another step back. "I'm not as idiotic as you think I am, child."

"I've never thought that you were idiotic. You're a genius, and that's exactly what your issue is! You've crossed the line between genius and insanity!"

He laughed that madman laugh. It rung loud in her ears. "I'm not insane, Haru, I'm in _love_."

She choked back her disgust. "You don't know what love is. You're obsessed."

He just shook his head slightly, like he was scolding her. "Maybe you're the one who doesn't know what love is. Now, please, give in to me. Tell me what you want."

"I want to be with my husband!"

"Then why didn't you kill me when you had the chance? If you didn't want me, not even a little bit, then you would have killed me when you had the chance to!"

She stopped. In a way, he was right. Her instinct had taken over her when she'd almost killed him. Something in her mind had stopped the rest of her. She looked down to the floor, then back to Orochimaru. Did she really want something like him? A maniac who only caused death and destruction to those around him?

Her body began to visibly submit, and he knew it. "Go lie down, Haru," he said, and she merely nodded. She had to do this.

"What if I don't want to go all the way, Orochimaru-sama?" she asked quietly.

"Then your son will die."

She let the tears go at that point. She had to. Or Ichirou would suffer.

She laid on the bed, shivering slightly, watching the Sannin with tearful eyes. He simply took off his vest, letting it slip down to the floor, before walking over to the bed. He was on top of her, straddling one of her legs, his lips capturing hers before she could blink. She felt an ache from her chest to her gut, feeling his tongue slip through her lips to play with her own. She almost groaned from the sensation, squeezing his leg between her own.

He fondled her braless breast through her shirt, squeezing affectionately. She arched her body into his, feeling the cold air around him. His scent was almost intoxicating.

His lips moved down her jaw to her neck, kissing down to her curse mark.

"Say it, Haru," he growled against her skin.

"Say what?" she breathed, glancing down at his black hair.

"Tell me you want me."

She gulped, and then had to shake back a pang of fear. "I would never lie to you, Orochimaru-sama," she whispered.

"Then don't lie to me," he said. His tongue traced random designs across her mark, making her very being tingle from head to toe. She took a few deep breaths. _Tell the truth_, she thought. _Tell the truth_.

She had to think about this for a moment. Telling the truth would only cause her more guilt, more guilt than she thought she could handle.

"I want you, Orochimaru-sama."

He grinned against her, giving her curse mark one more generous lick before looming over her again, his hair curtaining them from the shadows around.

"Say it again," he said, his eyes glowing lust and satisfaction all at once.

"I want you, Orochimaru-sama."

His mouth found hers again, and she groaned as he bit into her lower lip and sucked gently on the blood he drew. Her face grew hot. Her core was aching with need already.

Her hands were in his hair as soon as her shirt was off, pulling him down into the valley of her breasts. He gladly took a nipple into his mouth, sucking so hard that it almost knocked the breath out of the young woman beneath him. He pinched the other with his free hand, while the other was leaving trails of fire down her skin to rub at her through her shorts.

"God," he whispered against her skin, "you're already so hot and _ready_ for me."

The shorts were gone next, but not soon after his shirt joined the pile of clothing that was piling up. She sat up enough to reach his neck, kissing here, nibbling there. She felt his body quiver slightly and he groaned into her hair.

"I'm so very glad I took my time with this," he said quietly. "It makes it all worth it."

Her hands were roaming his back, fingers tracing any tiny scars on his pale skin. He hissed from the contact, feeling his pants tighten uncomfortably. He had to regain control, he realized, otherwise he wouldn't get his point across.

He moved away from her, pushing her back down onto the mattress, and lifting her knees almost to her shoulders. He gazed down at her wet womanhood, cleanly shaved and looking so appealing that he could just eat it up.

She shivered at the gleam in his eye as he licked his lips, emphasizing the size of his tongue. "What are you doing?" she asked, her voice almost hoarse.

"Oh, you'll see, my love," he said slowly, as if wanting her to let whatever was going to happen sink in.

She flushed a deep red. That word again. _Love_. What did he really mean when he said that to her? Was it just another word of infatuation with him? Or was it obsession? She didn't think that there was any way that he knew what love really was. Not someone who had probably never even felt it before.

He was an inch from her womanhood now, his hot breath making her squirm against him. Sasuke's mouth had never been that close to there. She'd never had a man go down on her before. She had no idea what it would feel like.

Fire coursed through her body as his hot tongue just barely ran up her wet slit, and she moaned loudly. She'd never been this sensitive before. He pressed his wide tongue flush against her clit, making her almost scream his name. The heat running through her veins was so hot it was unreal.

"Do you like it, _Ha-ru_?" he asked against her thigh, chuckling quietly.

"I…" She felt embarrassed. "I've… never had anyone do this before…"

She looked down to see that his eyes were practically glowing from satisfaction. "Oh, really now?" he asked slowly.

"Yeah…"

He kissed her clit softly, making her gasp from the heat running up her spine, before letting his tongue take over once more. The contact was gentle, yet it sent raw and hard pleasure through her.

She felt his tongue pressing at her soaking, heated entrance, and she actually backed away from him, her eyes widening. She leaned up on her elbows to look down at him. He released her thighs to look at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Nervous?" he asked.

She shook her head, her cheeks flaming red. "I… I don't want you to…"

"To make you cum?"

"I don't want you to have sex with me at all, much less oral sex."

His gaze darkened, and Haru had to look away. She felt guilty. Whether or not his feelings were hurt, she wasn't sure, but it was somewhat the truth. She was married and had a son. She almost felt dirty for these recent events, even if it was for her child.

"We aren't having sex, Haru," he whispered, leaning down to lay his head against her stomach. She raised her eyebrows at him and almost snorted.

"Then what is this? Is this forced intercourse?"

He almost laughed. "You've obviously never made love before."

Her entire face became tomato-red. She almost fainted, but regained consciousness through shock as her knees met her shoulders again. "Wait, Orochimaru-sama…"

The tip of his tongue penetrated her, and she had to bite her lip. He slowly and softly licked at her walls as he went deeper, exploring her. She moaned softly, feeling her body grow warmer and her stomach begin to tingle.

He let go of one of her legs to use his thumb against her clit, rubbing in slow circles. His tongue reached that sweet spot inside her and stopped its exploration, licking slowly and continuously in that spot, almost teasing.

"Orochimaru-sama…" she breathed, gripping the sheets. That coil wrapped around her body, but somehow it was ten times hotter than usual. She began to grind against him to his rhythm, moaning his name repeatedly. Her vision became a haze. "I'm… I'm going to-"

He stopped suddenly, her walls contracting around his tongue as he pulled it out, slowly, deliberately. Her vision cleared. The coil loosened but did not disappear. As he sat up, caressing her thigh, she gave him an almost pleading look.

"Not yet," he said. He looked down at her with a fascinated look. She could feel that there was a puddle on the sheets beneath her. She'd never been this wet before, not even with Sasuke. No one had ever done this to her before. "I want us to do this together."

He looked down at her as he unzipped his pants. She was the image of perfection, her hair all about her face and head, cheeks flushed, eyes hooded, lips slightly pink and swollen from earlier kisses. Her chest heaved slightly, her nipples nice and hard for him.

His gaze was almost loving as he positioned himself over her, his free hand resting on her hip. She looked down to take a look at what she knew was about to happen, and she had to shut her eyes and take a breath.

He was so big it was almost inhuman. Then again, Sasuke's was the only one she'd ever seen. She had to think about it. There was no way that other men were like that. As Orochimaru wasn't completely human, it made sense for something to be so large. But to think, that someone else might actually-

"Are you nervous, Haru?" he asked. When she opened her eyes, he actually looked concerned. He glanced down at his stiff member before looking back to her face. "It's alright, you know. I'll make sure that it doesn't hurt."

His pants had been uncomfortable on him for a long time, the slight friction he received being his only satisfaction so far. He had to feel her from the inside, and soon. It was becoming too much. His member twitched in his hand at the thought. He had to hold back. He stroked himself slowly, gritting his teeth quietly at the slight pleasure he felt.

"Please don't hurt me, Orochimaru-sama."

He smiled at her, as if to reassure her. "I would never hurt you during our first time, Haru. Or any time after, for that matter."

Somehow that made her relax. She felt him press against her, and she braced herself. The head itself stretched her in a way she had never been stretched, but it wasn't so painful that she couldn't handle it. She squirmed as he slowly went further in, watching her face for any sign of pain. He stopped any time she tried to run, trying to keep this as painless as possible, although it was killing him to do so. He'd waited for too long to have to take his time, he knew. He should just take her as hard as he could. But, as he really did love her, he went slow. This wasn't just about him. It was about her, too.

When the head of his manhood reached the core of her pleasure, she shuddered with pleasure. It slid in another inch and a half before he was buried to the hilt. His eyes showed nothing but pure ecstasy. "My god, Haru," he groaned. "You feel amazing. You're so tight and hot."

She involuntary contracted around him, making him almost purr with pleasure. She stared at his face for a long moment before tears struck her eyes, beginning to run slowly down her flushed cheeks and into her hair.

"What's wrong?" he asked, suddenly looking concerned. "Does it hurt?"

"No," she mumbled, loud enough where he had to strain to hear. "I… I feel like this is so wrong…"

His concern turned to anger so suddenly she hardly had time to react. He yanked her up by her arms to straddle his lap, his member still buried inside her. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her tight to him, kissing beneath her chin before looking up at her.

"There is nothing wrong about what we are doing, Haru." He stated it as if it were a fact. "You'll see soon enough."

His hands, leaving trails of fire behind them, slid down to her hips, picking her up to move her up his length. She threw her head back, groaning from animalistic pleasure. He moaned quietly against the crook of her shoulder. She gripped his hair as she slid back down.

They found a slow, steady rhythm. He left fiery kisses all over her neck, shoulders and chest as they went. When she began to move on her own, one of his hands moved to her breast as the other pressed against the small of her back. She moaned his name repeatedly, growling and hissing in pleasure. He bucked back into her, making her follow his movements. This went on for forever, slow and steady, their bodies in perfect unity with one another. The pleasure was almost wild. He hit that spot and beyond every time. It was, as much as she hated to admit it, the best she'd ever had.

The coil in her body tightened uncontrollably. His hand moved from her back to her hair, yanking her down into a kiss that held more passion than she could fathom.

"I love you, Haru," he whispered against her lips. "Tell me you love me."

She suddenly became uncomfortable in her own skin. She stopped halfway, looking down to stare at him with an almost dazed look on her face. Surely he wasn't serious. He didn't really demand that of her.

"Say it, Haru, or you won't cum tonight."

She suddenly blushed. How did he know she was so close?

"I can feel you tightening around me." It was like he was reading her mind. "It's almost unbearable not to lay you down and fuck you until you can't see straight. But I want this to be perfect for us."

"It won't be perfect if I have to say that."

He pushed her down then, laying her flat on the mattress beneath them. He put his legs on her shoulders, and thrusted in one good time. It was almost painful. She gripped the sheets so tight that her knuckles paled.

"Say it, Haru," he demanded.

"I can't."

"You can, and you will."

"I thought I wasn't supposed to lie to you!"

He growled in frustration, releasing her legs to lay flush against her. One hand tightened in a fist in her black tresses, the other holding her knee to his waist. His lips were against her ear. He began to pound into her, harder and harder.

Every few thrusts he would moan "I love you" in an almost feral tone. The coil tightened to the point where Haru thought she might explode. His grip on her hair tightened; he was as close as she was.

"Say it," he growled into her ear. His movements lightened slightly. He seemed to hesitate. "Please."

She held her breath for a moment, before letting the words slip from her lips so quietly it was hardly a whisper. "I love you, Orochimaru-sama."

He thrusted in, hitting that sweet spot just right. "Again."

"I love you, Orochimaru-sama."

He growled in pleasure, thrusting in a few more times. "One more time, Haru."

She felt her body begin to collapse. "I love you, Orochi-"

She screamed the rest of his name in orgasm, seeing stars in her eyes. He released, too, buried so far inside that she wondered how it was possible. His body shook with pleasure, sweat dotting both of their foreheads. She arched against his pale frame, shivering herself.

He didn't roll off of her for some time, towering over her with shaky shoulders, looking at her in a way she'd never, ever seen before. Not even in the woods yesterday. The look wasn't _almost _loving, but it was _completely_ loving. It made her heart somewhat flutter, and she continued to stare as he rolled over onto his back, wiping the sweat from his brow.

"I never thought that having you would be so amazing."

She blinked a few times, pretty unsure of what he meant, but he continued. "I've loved you for so long, Haru, and I've never been able to explain it to even myself for a long time. The word doesn't even describe how I've grown to feel about you." He pulled her tight to him, her head resting on her shoulder. He chuckled slightly at how her body shivered at his touch. "I also wanted to wait for you. So you could mature and know how you felt."

She tried to turn over, but he wouldn't let her. She remained silent. She would never have felt this way, or so she thought. She would never have had an attachment to Orochimaru if she would have stayed with him. It had been her to finish off Kabuto after he'd transformed into that _thing_ after eating Orochimaru's remains. So how could she be attached now, after so much pain he'd caused?

He'd kidnapped her and stole her childhood with her brother. He'd made her think that she was nothing more than a meat puppet to him for more than ten years. He'd made her witness thousands of deaths and taught her things that Shinobi should never learn. And what's worse, now he was taking her away from the little family, the only one she'd ever had. She was supposed to help raise a new Uchiha clan, fresh from the ashes and the conspiracies and the lies. She was supposed to live as a Leaf Shinobi, teaching at the Ninja Academy and going on missions to deliver gifts to feudal lords. Hell, she was even supposed to assassinate people every now and again. But she wasn't supposed to be doing this. Especially not with the enemy.

But her body and even a part of her mind was in pure bliss. She honestly felt at home, as odd as it was. "Maybe this won't end too badly," she whispered slowly, almost to herself.

"I know it won't," Orochimaru laughed, moving her hair to her face. She slowly wrapped an arm around his slim waist, trying to grow comfortable with the idea. He leaned down to kiss her forehead, and she closed her eyes, sighing. It was going to be a long few weeks.

He watched her fall into a sleep so deep that she was snoring. He wondered what she'd been thinking about but didn't ask. He wasn't sure he really wanted to know. He knew that she was struggling internally with emotions she didn't know how to handle. He'd taught her never to feel guilt for anything that she did.

It wasn't his fault that she married another man. Especially the man who was, one day, going to become his vessel, his brand new body. And with the Sharingan, he could take over the world.

Getting Haru was only one part of his plan. Now he felt completely motivated to make sure she stayed with him forever. Now to get the materialistic things he needed.

For one, a new body and new ability. For two, the world.


	14. Chapter 14

**Hello, all! Here is the new chapter, but I added a random event simply because I couldn't think of anything to make this chapter very interesting. **

**I'm also thinking up a new fanfiction, I'm just hoping that I don't forget about this one in the process! Anyway, I hope that you readers enjoy! Because the drama is coming, I tell you!**

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><p>Haru woke up the next morning hurting between her legs. She groaned as she got out of bed, running her fingers through her tangled black tresses. As the cold air hit her, it dawned on her that she was nude. She was groggy, as if she'd woken up after a long night of drinking and partying her ass off, which she hadn't done in almost five years.<p>

She had to think for a moment before she realized what she'd done. And who she'd done it with. She had to put her hand to her mouth to keep from screaming.

"So you're awake." His voice was sultry and silky. "You've been asleep for awhile. It's almost noon."

"What did you make me do?" she all but whispered.

"I didn't make you do anything," he answered, raising an eyebrow.

"I committed adultery," she mumbled.

"I told you before, you're not married when you're in this house."

Tears began to roll down her flushed cheeks. Her eyes glittered with frustration. "How dare you do this to me!" she screamed. "If you ever loved me at all I wouldn't be going through this! You would let me live with my son and the person I want to be with!"

She ran past him then, and he made no effort to stop her. She ran through the dark halls of the building, this prison, her personal _hell_, until she made it into the room she'd spent her childhood in. The place that Naruto had destroyed had been a decoy; the real place was some ways away hidden by a very powerful Genjutsu. She had been in her room the day the fake building had been destroyed, reading a book.

She began to sob on her old bed, completely nude and somehow uncaring, gripping the baby blue pillowcase with angry fists. She wanted to get sucked into a black hole and stay there, her sins unseen by the rest of the world.

Anything to escape the golden gaze of Orochimaru.

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><p>Did she just run away from him? <em>Naked<em>?

He chuckled slightly. Her mind wasn't ready for this, not like her body was. She was going to be very stressed out for awhile, unless she figured things out or just accepted her situation. She would begin to accept it and then burst suddenly into rebellion like a lunatic.

The Sannin wondered why she didn't just stay here. For her son, he could understand, but she could always take him with her. They could raise that kid together and she could divorce that little idiot she'd married.

He scoffed. Uchiha Sasuke was far from an idiot. He was a genius.

Just as he was going to look for her, one of his drones ran into the room, skidding through the doorway.

"Orochimaru-sama!" the fair-haired, bulky man cried. "There is word that Suna has heard of your return, and will launch an attack on Oto!"

"They won't make it for at least a week," the Sannin replied quickly. "You know the strategies; prepare yourselves, if next week is true, at least."

"Will we not confirm, sir?" he asked, confusion in his green eyes. Oh, he was an idiot, all right. But the only thing on Orochimaru's mind was how Suna found out that he was still alive.

"I'm sending someone in," he said. "Now, get out before I kill you."

He walked out shortly behind the man, following the trail of Haru's chakra. Seemed she was going to get some excitement after all.

* * *

><p>The next morning she was leaving for Suna. She had slept in her old room the night before, feeling that it was unbearable to sleep in the bed where she had violated her vows to Sasuke.<p>

She had more than enough water, the chakra bonds were gone, and she had plenty of kunai and senbon, not that she needed either. She could easily make blades with the water she had at her disposal. Nonetheless, with her pack slung over one shoulder, she left Orochimaru's without a second glance. It was almost like the first time he'd sent her to a foreign country alone; she was so calm and collected on the outside but her mind was collapsing behind the façade.

Orochimaru had told her he loved her when she was packing the night before. She hadn't answered, and somehow he didn't say another word to her. It was like the facts were finally getting through his thick ass skull.

She laughed at the thought. Nothing could get through that man's skull, even if she had a sledge hammer to slam it in.

* * *

><p>The trip to Suna was rather uneventful, but she did enjoy sleeping in the outdoors and fishing and being a real Shinobi again. Masking her chakra, almost sneaking around the woods, watching for enemies… it was like old times.<p>

Until, upon reaching the desert, she encountered someone she'd never thought she'd see again.

She immediately tackled the person, and he didn't struggle. They fell into the sand with dust clouds forming around them. She had a kunai to his throat before he could take a breath, and she was well-prepared to kill him.

"What the hell do you think you're doing here?" she hissed through clenched teeth, the sun beating down on her back in waves. She dressed lightly for the hot weather, and so most of her back was bare. Her hair was only partly up, the top half in a ponytail high on her head. Her black, elbow-length gloves were getting dust on them, as were her new black shorts the Sannin had bought her while she was away with Sasuke.

Something about his eyes were different. There was black around his Sharingan, which was something unusual. He no longer wore a cloak, just casual black pants and a black overshirt over mesh underarmor. His long black hair was the same. The lines on his face gave away who he was immediately.

"So you're my little brother's wife," he said, bitterness in his tone.

"So you're my son's dead uncle," she snapped.

"Last time I saw you, you were Orochimaru's brat," he snapped back. Damn, he had a bad attitude. She didn't remember that about him from before.

"Guess you could say I still am, asshole," she said, her voice calming slightly. "Now answer my question before this _brat_ kills you."

"I could always use Sharingan on you, you know."

"But you know Sasuke taught me to deflect it."

He chuckled slightly. "I guess this means that you're wondering how I'm alive." She rolled her eyes. He was really stating the obvious here. "Kabuto resurrected me."

"I know, but the jutsu was supposed to wear off."

"It didn't; Deidara and Sasori are still living, too."

"Excuse me?" She thought the jutsu had gone away, anyway. _Hmm, seems not_, she thought.

"I'm not sure why I'm still alive myself."

She pressed the blade to the man's skin. "You still haven't answered my question."

Itachi shrugged. "Traveling."

"Are you trying to convince Suna to attack Otogakure?"

"That place still exists?" he almost laughed. "I thought that after Orochimaru's death, Oto would surely go up in flames."

"No, it hasn't," she growled. She was growing frustrated. "Orochimaru isn't dead, somehow."

"_What_?"

That was when she let him up, brushing the sand from her shorts. He was her brother-in-law, after all. "Yeah, he's alive. He found me almost two months ago."

"And made you leave Konoha?"

"I never left Konoha. I was there just last week."

The elder Uchiha looked a little confused. He touched his finger to his chin. Haru took a drink out of one of her canteens. It was getting hot.

"So you haven't betrayed the Leaf, but you're still with Orochimaru." She never imagined him to be so talkative to a person he barely knew. Maybe Itachi was actually more kind than people had led him to be, despite the bitter attitude and slight sarcasm. "What kind of situation are you in?"

"The bad kind," she said. "I know that you might be leaving, but will you come with me to Suna? It's been a lonely week and if I have a heat stroke I might just die out here."

"I may leave you here if you stroke out," he grumbled, turning to walk with her.

"And then the nephew you've never met would never get to know what his uncle Ita was like," Haru joked.

"What's his name?"

"Uchiha Ichirou."

The man chuckled beside her. "You named him 'First Son'?"

"It was your brother's idea."

"I'm not surprised."

They walked for in silence for a few moments before Haru explained her situation. Sure, she didn't know Itachi that well, but she did remember that he had helped Sasuke take Kabuto down in the end, even though she had finished that monstrosity off in the end. After that, Itachi had pretty much disappeared. So she felt she could at least halfway trust him.

"You need to get out," he said. "You're only going to hurt Sasuke." "I'm aware, especially now that this is a seduction mission."

"There is a high possibility that he is going to start a war."

Haru sighed, sipping water from her canteen before offering some to Itachi. He accepted with a "hmph".

"I know that it's possible, but that means he's been lying about loving me, right?"

"No, there's no way that he's lying about being in love with you, Haru-chan."

She blushed, and not from the heat. "How do you know?"

Itachi shrugged, looking straight toward their destination. "I remember when he was in Akatsuki, dragging you along with him," he said. "The way he looked at you… it's the way a man looks at a lover. Even when you were so young."

It made her feel disgusting. "Not that he was sexually attracted to you then," he finished, realizing how disgusting that really sounded. That made her feel a little better. "I think he just thought that in your future you would be his best choice for a life partner."

"He's an idiot."

"He's smarter than Sasuke and I put together," the man chuckled.

"Shut it."

She knew she shouldn't be cold toward the man/zombie, but he was telling her what she didn't want to hear. "I know that you are repulsed by the idea," he continued, "but it makes sense. It would explain how he treated you back then. With a kindness that everyone else could see, just not you."

"I didn't go to him willingly like your brother did."

Itachi's eyes widened slightly. "Oh?"

"He kidnapped me from my home when I was five."

"Hmm…" Itachi looked up to the sky thoughtfully. "Why?"

"I was meant to be a vessel."

"That obviously changed."

"Please don't remind me, Itachi-san."

It was very strange, seeing Itachi here. Knowing that he was alive was the real shocker, not that she cared either way. As long as she didn't die of a stroke in the middle of the desert. She had never really talked much to Itachi when she met him as a child. She didn't even realize who he was until she met Sasuke.

"I don't know what to tell you on this one." The gates of Suna were peaking over the horizon. "He would start a war just because you refuse to return to Oto with him, yet it would be no big deal if he decided not to let you return to Konoha."

"Precisely what I'm saying, although I have a feeling that they would send someone to find me."

"Of course they would, that Jinchuuriki seems to be a great man, I hear."

"He's done a lot for us."

"Well, I suppose that you need to make up your mind, whether it means starting a war or betraying your husband."

"I don't want a fucking war to start over me! I can't be that important!" She made a strange gesture with her arms as she spoke, earning a smirk from the older man walking beside her. "I think I just have to assassinate Orochimaru."

"No, if Sasuke couldn't do it, you definitely can't."

"I trained under Orochimaru for _eleven _years compared to Sasuke's three," she said, crossing her arms with a smirk. "I have a feeling that I could do it."

"Not if you've failed once when you had the opportunity."

Her arms fell back to her sides. Itachi seemed to have a way of blatantly stating the truth. So much like his brother.

The older man stopped. "This is where we must depart," he said quietly. The breeze picked up, and Itachi had to brush his fingers through his long bangs. "I'm sorry, but I just left. They'd find it suspicious if I came back, and I'd like to lead a normal life."

"You're a zombie, dude. Nothing is normal about that."

He simply shrugged her comment off. "No one knows that I'm a zombie. These eyes could be the result of a seal or jutsu, you never really know."

"Well, then," she said, gulping down some more water, "thanks for the company anyway. I hope that the next time we meet I won't attack you again."

"You would have killed me if it hadn't been a fluke," he said with a chuckle, turning to walk away. He waved as he went. "You've gone soft since having a child, it seems. Good luck with your situation."

She sighed. It was rather random to see that odd man in Suna, of all places. Especially when he was supposed to be dead.

It made her wonder what had happened to the container of all the Biju they'd collected. But she shook away the thought as she drew even closer to the gates of Suna, the Village Hidden in the Sand. As they thought her to be a Konoha Shinobi, they might possibly let her in. Unless they had figured out that she was part-time Oto bound.


	15. Chapter 15

**Hey guys! Here is the new chapter of "I Hate Everything About You"! Yes, I have changed my Pen Name. Not sure why, but I did.**

**Please take a look at my new NON-CITRUS oneshot, "Thunder." I like it, and it's one of the reasons I've been delayed on this particular fanfiction. **

**My disclaimers are in my profile. Please enjoy, R&R, NO flames. :P**

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><p>He put back another shot before slamming his glass down onto the bar. He wasn't drunk, at least not yet. His best friend, the Seventh Hokage, sat on a stool beside him, quite intoxicated and grinning like a lunatic.<p>

The tavern was filled with familiar faces tonight. Sakura was flirting with Sai at the end of the bar, quite drunk herself, and Sai was actually responding, a realistic smirk on his face and whispering in her ear. It was strange, watching Sakura giggle like that. Seeing as she used to giggle like that over him. _Oh well_, he thought. _She had to move on sometime_.

"You miss her, right?" the drunk asked, looking at him with a slightly confused look on his face, yet still grinning. It reminded the man of when they were Genin, naive and knowing nothing about the real world.

"Of course I do, _dobe_," His nickname for Naruto never changed, not once in his life. But then again, Naruto still called him the same thing as well.

"I'm sorry that it turned out this way, but we can't start a war over one kunuoichi," the blonde slurred. Sasuke shrugged. In a way, Naruto had a point, but this was his _wife_. He would gladly start a war for Haru. "But she's strong," he continued, "so she'll get through this mission without a hitch."

"What mission?" Haru hadn't told Sasuke about any missions while she was in Oto. Certainly she wasn't going to try and deceive the man who could very well have created deception. Or try to assassinate him, either. Haru was just as strong as Sasuke, and even he couldn't take down Orochimaru. There was no way that she could if he couldn't.

"That's confidential, you know." Again, dobe had a point. But Sasuke was really itching to know, even if it was the sake talking. "It's between me, her, and Tsunade-baachan."

"Why does Tsunade get to know and not me?"

"You know she tells baachan everything."

"But I'm her husband."

"And Tsunade knows everything about Orochimaru that there is to know, and can probably help her out more in her situation than you can."

Sasuke's head was beginning to hurt. Haru was in a situation? Did that mean that she was in trouble? Was there a chance of that bastard hurting her?

Suddenly his hand was on the Hokage's shoulder, squeezing a little too hard for comfort. "Tell me, teme," he growled. "I have to know what my wife is going to be doing out there."

Naruto shrugged Sasuke off of him. "We all know how obsessed Orochimaru is with Haru. We know that by just knowing that all he wanted was to have her back even for a few weeks at a time." The blonde rolled his eyes at this comment. "So all she has to do is bat her eyelashes, giggle a few times at his jokes, and flirt."

Suddenly the Uchiha saw in red. He knew that his Sharingan activated on its own, but he didn't care. "What are you talking about?"

"It's kinda like a seduction mission," Naruto snorted. "Gain his trust so she can get information; that kind of thing. It's nothing that Haru hasn't done before."

Naruto just didn't _know_ how far Orochimaru would take it. She would have to prove that he could trust her. "Do you know how far she's going to have to take this!"

"What's it matter? She's on-"

* * *

><p>She sat in the Kazekage's office, in front of a small fan that could sit on a desk. She was terribly hot, after all, as being born in a snowy environment doesn't give people the adaptation skills they wish they had sometimes. Gaara, a man with blood-red hair and sea-green eyes sat in front of her, hands crossed in front of him.<p>

"Why are you here, Haru-chan?" he asked bluntly. "I haven't seen you since you escorted a few of my Genin back after a mission almost six months ago."

"I have a few questions for you," she replied, her eyes moving from the fan to the Kazekage's face. She tried to hide her lying the best she could. "It concerns your rumored attack on Otogakure."

Gaara raised an eyebrow. She was intrigued on how he really didn't have brows at all, but the muscle still raised. "And if rumors are true?"

"I'm just concerned myself. I'm not here on account of my village." She raised her hand to show her Konohagakure tattoo, the cut masked with a Genjutsu. "I am here because I was raised in Oto and would like to help."

Now his green eyes widened in shock. "You… want to help attack a village that is practically in ruins?" he asked. Haru nodded, causing Gaara to shrug. "Well, Oto is not going to be attacked. At least, not by us. I have no intentions of destroying something that is destroying itself."

"I hear that Orochimaru is back, you know."

That seemed to have peaked the man's interest a bit. He leaned forward on his desk. "I've heard that myself. I would indeed like to make a contract with him for trade if he was back to rule."

"What is there in the Land of Rice Paddies that is of interest anyway? It doesn't have much, you know." She knew that there was nothing to trade. That meant that he had to know about the treaty between Oto and Konoha regarding Haru. He must want a peace treaty as well, prepared to sacrifice a girl if he needed to.

"Suna is a land of little resources. We will take what we can get."

"Ah, I suppose that you do have a point there." The desert really was a hard place to grow medicines and other herbs, anyway. "Well, I am not here regarding Konoha."

"Then who are you here for?"

She stood. She supposed it was time for the truth. She turned her back to Gaara, moving her hair off of her shoulders. On her right shoulder blade, there was the symbol, a music note, for Otogakure. She had always been about tattoos, after all. She sometimes forgot that it was there, trying to forget about her past.

"I see." Gaara sat back, sighing quietly. "So he is back."

"Yes, it seems that he is, but you already knew that."

"I wanted to hear it from your own mouth."

Haru smirked. Gaara was known for his knowledge, after all. Even if he hid it just to hear it from the horse's mouth. "Then Naruto has told you about the recent treaty between Oto and Konoha?"

"Naturally." It was Gaara's turn to smirk. Damn him and his playing dumb.

"So what do you want with Orochimaru?"

"I think that's something that he and I should discuss."

She glared. "So Orochimaru sent me out here just so I could hear _that_?"

He laughed. "Pretty much." She laughed with him. She rested for only few hours before she headed back out to Oto. She was rather exhausted.

* * *

><p>Orochimaru smirked as he watched the footage on the security cameras in his home.<p>

Yes, he had cameras; due to his trust issues with his minions, he felt as though if one decided to steal he could catch them in the act. He only checked them once every two weeks, but today he only did it simply because he was curious.

He had a camera in his bedroom.

He and Haru had been recorded making love two nights ago. Every little detail was on one small disk. It made him smirk. The disk went from in the evening, when he had brought her home after she fainted, and ended with her running away crying yesterday.

Orochimaru labeled the disk with the date and the word "bedroom," tossing it into the usual stack without a second thought. It didn't bother him, as no one else looked at the cameras and changed the disks except for him. He'd kill anyone for coming into the security room, which only he had a key to anyway.

He sighed, walking through the hallways of his home towards the kitchen. Haru would be gone for almost two weeks, and he really would be bored. She'd just left yesterday, and already he was worried to death if she was safe, if she had water, if she had plenty of weapons and food pills, if she hadn't been kidnapped by Suna (he laughed at this-Haru was more than capable of defending herself from the likes of Sand Shinobi)… was this what it was like to be in love with someone? Worrying about them all the time when they weren't around?

He took the boiling water off of the stove and poured it into his cup, moving his teabag around a bit before sitting down at the table. She was probably going to head back to Konohagakure instead of coming back. She would want to rest up for a few days before heading out into the desert again. But that was alright. Leaving a day or so early after a mission would be just fine with Orochimaru. He wasn't that much of a hard ass on her.

He sighed, sipping his tea. He had to get out of the house himself. The lab wouldn't be enough to occupy him for the next week. Maybe he could travel towards Kirigakure, and speak with the Kage about a few trades here and there. He had to make his "village" prosper again, no matter what.

It was strange that he actually considered turning this sad country into a real village, just to make Haru feel more at home. Seeing as she was used to the peacefulness of Konoha. It was a strange decision, but maybe he could make it work.

He stood, leaving his tea to get cold on the table. Someone would clean it up for him later, he knew, and set out to be on his way. He was going to travel for a little while, meeting up with Haru in Konoha at the end of her week with her family.

* * *

><p>Sasuke had gotten thrown out of the tavern that night. He woke up the next morning with a black eye, but heard that Naruto had a broken nose. And that satisfied him enough. Now he just had to make arrangements.<p>

He had just blacked out when he realized that Naruto had made this a seduction mission for information. It wouldn't be the same as just flirting and showing some skin, then killing them, or gaining their trust by a few dates and pretending to want to marry them just to break into their offices and take their things and then kill them. No, Orochimaru was smarter than that. He wouldn't fall for something so trivial.

Unless Haru did the unbelievable and actually let him have his way with her.

Sasuke shuddered at the thought, making his headache worse. Haru would never do that. There was no way she would be capable of having sex with the man who raised her and molded her into the person she grew up to be. She wouldn't be able to do it.

He quickly gathered a few supplies and headed out. He'd gotten unofficial permission to leave the village to go visit Haru, after all.

* * *

><p>She did decide to make her way toward Konoha, after all. She decided it would be easier. So she arrived home four days later, a whole week earlier than she was supposed to be. But she didn't really care. She needed to get away from the Sannin while she thought things over. The whole attachment to him had gotten worse while she was there.<p>

She saw Sai heading out on her way in, and he stopped to actually speak to her, which was strange. Sai didn't dislike her or anything, but they never had gotten to know each other very well.

"You're home early," he said casually, smiling a more realistic smile than he had when they'd first met. "Did Orochimaru let you come home?"

"I finished a mission early and didn't see the problem," she answered, shrugging. "It's not my problem if he gets all butt hurt."

He laughed slightly. "You just missed Sasuke yesterday, you know."

"Really? Where is he heading?"

"Not sure, but he headed in your general direction, it seemed. Said he'd be back in a few days."

She placed a finger to her bottom lip, tapping it thoughtfully. "I wonder what kind of mission he has this time…" she said under her breath, then turned back toward the gates of Konoha. "I've been in Suna. Orochimaru sent me to gather some information."

"In the desert?"

"You're telling me. When I got there, the information seemed pointless."

They both laughed at that one. Even if Sai's was a little fake.

"Oh, by the way," Sai said, suddenly becoming serious, "your husband knows about the details of your assignment while you're in Oto."

Her jaw hit the ground and her eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. Did Naruto really tell Sasuke about the whole seduction thing! Is that why Sasuke was heading to Otogakure?

"You're not serious," she said quickly, flailing her arms in an erratic fashion. "Sasuke can't know about that! It's confidential!"

"Well, the blonde told him last night at the tavern while he was drunk."

Haru pinched the bridge of her nose. "Oh, god…"

"Yeah, your husband broke the Hokage's nose."

She sighed. Seemed Sasuke had been drinking, too, then.

She and Sai said their goodbyes, and she headed toward the Hokage's office. She was ten kinds of pissed off. Sasuke was not supposed to know about it. And if he was heading to Otogakure, then Orochimaru would rub it in Sasuke's face that something had happened… that the seduction was actually working…

She blushed. It was more like Orochimaru was seducing her. She was growing attached. She wanted to be with him, sometimes, even though she loved Sasuke with all of her being. She guessed that she didn't realize what it was like to see Orochimaru with an almost tender side, even if it was for just a moment.

* * *

><p>"<em>Uzumaki Naruto!<em>" a voice shouted, and suddenly Uchiha Haru had kicked the door open and had pure flames of hell in her eyes. It took Naruto by surprise, and he felt a bad chill go up and down his body. Haru had never been this mad, at least, not at him, anyway. She was no picnic when angry.

"I'm going to _fucking_ kill you!" she shouted, a kunai suddenly in her hand. "How _dare_ you tell Sasuke about my mission! I should fucking _gut_ you for spilling such confidential-"

The Genin in front of Naruto's desk were freaking out, cowering behind Kakashi, who wore a bewildered grin on his face behind his obnoxious mask. It was almost as if the Copy Ninja was amused by her rage. Or it could just be that Naruto was going to have more than a broken nose by the end of the day.

And it seemed that she realized what she was saying, too, and in front of kids she'd taught at the Academy. Her cheeks flushed, and she bowed her head in apology. The Hokage sighed, placing his head in his hands. Kakashi shook his head and dismissed himself and his students, saying he was going to come back later.

Haru sat down in front of the desk, worry filling her brown eyes, but not enough to put out that fire. "Why did you tell Sasuke, Naruto?" she asked. She sounded heartbroken. Naruto suddenly felt guilty.

"Haru-chan, I was drunk," he answered, closing his eyes for a moment. Yes, he had been rather trashed. And today he had the worst hangover imaginable. "I'm sorry and all, but there's nothing I can do about it now."

"Where did you send him?"

He looked at her for a moment with fear in his eyes. Should he lie? No, Haru wouldn't like that at all. Then again, Sasuke was the best friend. But she was the best friend's _wife_! Damn it, everything was becoming so difficult all at one time.

"I sent him on an escort mission."

Oh, now he just felt worse! But, Haru's eyes visibly softened and she relaxed. "So he's not going to Otogakure?"

His breath hitched for an instant. "N-No, he's not. But he'll be back soon, I'm sure. It was only a B-rank mission. He'll be fine."

She nodded. She seemed to be buying it. She stood, quickly taking a bow before she walked out without another word.

Naruto leaned back, sighing loudly, wiping his forehead with one of his hands. He felt terrible. But Sasuke would get pissed if he'd told Haru the truth.


	16. Chapter 16

**Hello, everyone! Sorry it's been so long. I've just been busy with work and friends and such. XD I hope that you enjoy!**

**My disclaimers are in my profile, as you should know by now. **

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><p>Haru waited for Sasuke for three days before he returned home. When he did, late in the night, he'd looked at her like she was crazy for awhile, and then simply hugged her, and said he was sorry for everything. Ichirou was asleep, and they stood over his little bed together.<p>

She felt at home in his embrace. She'd missed him so much, and yet somehow in the back of her mind she wondered about Orochimaru. She wondered where he was, how he was feeling, what he was thinking… She had to resist shaking her head in disgust.

Orochimaru had raised her. Kidnapped her, yes, but raised her all the same. He'd taught her everything she knew about the world and Shinobi. She'd even been raised to think that Konohagakure was the worst place on the face of the planet. And yet here she was, married and having a son in a village that she was supposed to hate.

Hate because they hated her master. Hate because they would kill her if they ever found her.

"I missed you so much," he whispered, pulling her to his chest and breaking her from her trance.

"I missed you too," she replied quietly, kissing his collarbone. "I came home early and you weren't here. I think I know how you felt now."

He sighed, and looked down at their son, slowly releasing the woman from his grip. "I can only imagine how he feels about all this."

She touched his face and made him look back at her. "He won't remember a thing of this when he gets older, Sasuke. He's just a baby."

"How am I supposed to explain that his mother goes to live with another man in a different country every month?" he exclaimed. "How do we explain your situation?"

"Maybe I'm on a mission to save the village, Sasuke."

"Who would believe that? The whole village is already talking, and-"

"Since when do you care about what the villagers think?" she asked, her eyes narrowing. "I'm doing what I have to do so that I can protect my village and my son." This wasn't getting any less frustrating for her, after all. She felt the need to take action. She felt the need to end this, dealing with the results in whichever way she could.

Sasuke shook his head, stepping away from her. That meant it was the end of the conversation. In her past seven years with Sasuke, it had been that way. That was the sign meaning that he'd given up, and would try again in some other way. Which was fine, in her opinion. As long as she was able to get some sleep that night.

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><p>Naturally, sleep didn't come easily.<p>

Haru got out of bed and walked to the bathroom, rolling her eyes at Sasuke's snoring. She ran a hot bath, and stood in front of the mirror to observe herself. This was one of her pastimes, she realized. Observing her physical appearance when she needed to think.

She slowly removed her shirt and turned to look at her right shoulder blade in the mirror. The music note that symbolized Oto was in thick black ink, permanently marking her as a Shinobi for Otogakure forever. The symbol of Kirigakure on her right palm was simply for her brother and her hometown-she had never been a Shinobi for the likes of that village.

The tattoo on her left palm-the strange symbol of Konohagakure-was like a symbol to herself, her village, and to Sasuke. She showed a new loyalty for a new village with the tattoo, and showed that it had become her home. Sasuke had been overjoyed when she'd come home with the tattoo, fresh on her hand. It was like she'd finally accepted a new life.

But the music note was the first tattoo she'd ever gotten. Because it was the only thing she'd ever known.

It was as if she'd wanted to show Orochimaru her loyalty to Oto. But that didn't make sense, because all Haru could remember was hating that place. She'd hated it with everything she was, as any prisoner should. Kabuto had been an envious bastard, as had Kimimaro… Everyone had hated her because she was the only one who had Orochimaru's affections. But she'd hated it. She didn't ask to be there.

Then again, Haru had stored most of the memories of her childhood deep into her mind, hoping never to have to think about them again. Her Oto tattoo was almost always hidden by Henge (transformation jutsu) and the other two were out in the open.

She focused hard on her feelings at that moment, turning off the water and slipping inside the bathtub, sighing in pleasure. She had way too much on her mind. A glass of sake would have went well with the scene.

Orochimaru had been the one who had raised her and showed her any affection at all. He'd raised her to be loyal, truthful, cautious, and open-minded. And when he'd decided on choosing another vessel, his affections only increased. And he was more open about them.

She giggled at the thought. She remembered that Orochimaru had sent Haru a bouquet of winter roses for her birthday, which he hadn't been able to deliver himself as he had been away on business. But for him to go through the trouble to get roses that were from her home village-it had been a sign of affection that he'd never shown anyone before. Kabuto had been especially surprised; he'd never been given a gift by Orochimaru before. So Haru really had been the only one he'd ever shown anything for. Probably in his entire life.

She dipped her hair into the water, looking up at the ceiling. It was strange not being able to see the stars the way she could at Oto. Maybe she could talk Sasuke into getting a window on the ceiling above their tub, too. Even though he might not agree, it would still be nice to be able to watch the night sky while she bathed. It was just what she had grown used to.

Haru brought her head up and tried to focus on the situation at hand. She didn't need to think about the stars or remodeling her bathroom. She needed to think about how to stay in Konoha without starting a war with Oto.

Beginning to shampoo her hair, she closed her eyes. A picture of her son came to mind. Sweet Ichirou, living without a care in the world. What would happen when he was older? What would his life be like without a mother? It wasn't like she could just take him away from his home and father to go with her. She wouldn't cause him so much pain.

And poor Sasuke wouldn't be able to take much more of this, either. She noticed the look in his eyes when she left a few weeks ago. It had been the way he'd been when they'd met. Hopeless. Angry. Lonely. It had killed her, even though that was the way he was when they'd met seven years ago.

She had to find a way to make Orochimaru hate her. She knew she hated him. She dipped down to rinse her hair. God, she _hated_ him. He was an egotistical, sadistic maniac. He lived to take the lives of others to reach his goal, to take advantage of every bad situation to benefit himself. He was merciless. He loved to watch people hurt. He'd taken away everything she might have had a chance at. A mother and a father (even though they both died shortly after she left), a brother, a normal life.

But he had been so nice to her. He'd helped her master chakra control, taught her how to defend herself. He'd protected her from all his enemies, and even some of his allies. He defended her points in arguments. He'd even taught her to read and write! He hadn't hired anyone or told anyone to take care of her; he'd done it all himself. From cooking for her to running her bath water to brushing her hair at night, he'd done it all. And he'd worn a smile on his face the entire time. A genuine, caring smile. Which was unusual for someone like Orochimaru, she knew.

She'd seen a different side of him. A side that only the two of them knew existed at all. Underneath the insanity, the evil, and the desire for immortality, he had a part of him that cared. For her. No one else in the world except for her. And at one point, she'd cared for him, too. He'd been her everything, just as she was always his.

She furrowed her brow. Did she _love_ Orochimaru? At all? Through all the pain and the tears and the hate, did she make the wrong decision by stopping Sasuke? Did she make a mistake by leaving Oto, which she was actually supposed to become the Kage of if anything were to happen, and coming to the Leaf? Was her whole situation because of her mistakes?

She stared down at her reflection blankly. She didn't know what to do. As much as she hated it, she had no idea what to do.

"You're home early."

Hearing his voice made Haru nearly jump out of her skin. She turned to Orochimaru with a sad expression. He was in his Otogakure Shinobi gear, from a headband to a black vest. Seems he always wore that when he traveled.

"What are you doing in my house?" she asked, bitterness dripping from the question. He was invading her home, the only part of her being that was normal.

"I came to make sure you made it back," he replied, shrugging his shoulders casually. "What's wrong with you? You look like you're upset."

She began to run conditioner through her hair absently. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Why not? You know you can talk to me about anything, Haru."

She sighed. "I know I can," she answered. "But I'm trying to figure out a way to make life easier for my son."

"The young Uchiha will be fine. You don't have anything to worry about."

"What do I tell him when he's older and his mother is gone all the time then?" She began to bathe as she spoke. It wasn't like she cared. Orochimaru had already seen her naked before. It was nothing new.

She heard the Sannin sigh. He strode over to the bathtub, kneeling down beside it and placing his long fingers on the edge. "Why would you bother to lie to him? Tell him you're with me, Haru. Tell him about _us_."

She blushed a deep red. "Why would I tell my son about me staying with another man! You have to be out of your mind."

"Ah, but my mind is broad, so I haven't left it just yet," he chuckled. "If you raise that child into thinking what we have is alright, then there will be nothing wrong with it."

"Then he'll be alright with his wife cheating on him one day! I'd kill a bitch!"

Again, that chuckle. He must have found her ridiculous. "If that is the case, then you need to make a decision, Haru."

"And what decision is that, Orochimaru?"

"Your family and myself, or everyone in this entire village. Which is worth sacrificing?"

Suddenly, a loud shriek tore through the baby monitor from the bedroom, which Haru had put on high volume just in case. Orochimaru smirked, looking off toward where she knew Ichirou's room was. "Looks like you've got more important matters to attend to."

Haru hadn't heard him. She was out of the tub, in a towel, and running toward her son's room. Sasuke was getting up, the heavy sleeper that he was, and had probably thought it had actually been quieter.

* * *

><p>"Shh, baby, it's okay," she cooed at her son. Sasuke was staring down at Ichirou in disbelief as Haru wiped the blood from his cheeks. The baby was whimpering and his eyes were bleeding heavily. His dark irises shone a bright crimson red. It was Sharingan. The child was barely one, and yet he had Sharingan.<p>

Haru wasn't sure what to do. She just kept wiping the blood from the weeping child. Her brain was pounding against her skull and so was her heart against her ribs. She'd never seen anything like this before. And she'd lived with Orochimaru.

Sasuke had obviously never seen this before, either. He just stared in awe. Was it possible that his son was going to be more powerful than even Itachi, who was himself a prodigy?

Tsunade was on her way. She was the only one who could handle this. Sasuke's eyes hadn't bled like that when he got his first Sharingan. Though he had been a teenager, not an infant. And there was no one but himself to sacrifice his eyes to Ichirou, unless it was his father.

But Ichirou wouldn't have Mangekyo at two years old, would he? That would be impossible. Not her son.

God, why wasn't anything going her way? Now Sasuke would be freaking out thinking that he would have to kill himself to keep his son from going blind. He wouldn't want to have anymore children. Hell, he might just tell her to leave and stay with Orochimaru. Since now he couldn't provide her with a normal life.

Sasuke sank down to his knees beside his son, staring hard at the child. "What do we do?" he whispered. "How are we going to control this?"

When Tsunade burst into the room, Haru stood and walked out. She'd had enough bullshit for one night. Tsunade didn't stop. Her first duty was always as a Medic, a friend second. Sasuke, however, followed her.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"I'm going to rinse my hair and go to bed," she replied, turning toward the bedroom door.

"Your son's eyes are bleeding!" he exclaimed. There was hurt in his eyes. "You're just going to go to bed like it's nothing!"

She turned back towards him, a fist flying into the door. It almost shattered into splinters; cracks began to form until it reached the edge. "It's not nothing!" she growled back at him. "I just can't take this! I'm stressed out all the fucking time! I want to kill Orochimaru with everything I have, and I wish I could stay here, but that would mean war. How would you feel if thousands of lives laid in your hands, Sasuke?" She wanted to rip her hair out but stopped herself by making fists, her nails digging into her own skin.

"And now I have to worry about my son bleeding out while I'm gone because he developed the Sharingan before he even turned one years old! I just want a normal goddamn life! The Sharingan is one thing, but I feel like I'm going to miss so much of his development because the fucking nanny is in his life more than I am!"

Sasuke stopped. He looked down at the floor. He didn't know what to do. And neither did she. They both were stuck in situations they didn't want to be in.

But nothing would stop Orochimaru. They had both tried to destroy him and they both had failed.

Then again, Haru had spared his life. Because her heart had taken control of her mind and body.

Because she loved him. She hated everything that he was, and everything he stood for, but she loved him. With everything she had. Even if it meant balancing it out with her love for Sasuke, she loved him.


	17. Chapter 17

**Hey guys! Sorry about taking so long between chapters. My life has been having a lot of ups and downs here lately, and it's getting more and more hectic. But that's besides the point. Here is chapter 17 of I Hate Everything About You. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimers are in my profile!**

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><p>The next month went by in a blur for Haru. She and Orochimaru spoke much about training Ichirou to use his new-found Sharingan. Orochimaru praised the child, saying that he was the beginning of a whole new Uchiha clan. Haru wasn't as enthusiastic; her son had been needing eye drops and close supervision the entire week that she'd been home. She'd lost a lot of sleep. At least at Orochimaru's she could sleep for an entire night and train during the day. And the sex began happening on a regular basis. Haru was in complete physical harmony.<p>

She and Sasuke hadn't really talked over her week home, either. The angry sex was good, but talking to him during the day wasn't the same. She trained a few Genin on chakra control while she was there, and that was quite relaxing. But honestly she felt better being away from it all. It was almost as if going to Otogakure was a vacation rather than an imprisonment.

Now she was back in Konoha, after three weeks of Oto. She felt relaxed and ready to take on the new week. But first, she had to have her checkup with Tsunade at the hospital. It was quite annoying how she had to be checked out either the day she got home or the day after. It was as if Naruto really thought that she was going to bring a bomb into Konoha.

The hospital was strangely busier than usual. It seemed that during her few weeks in Oto, border patrol had a conflict with Shinobi from another country and many had been injured. Fortunately, there had been no casualties whatsoever. And Konoha was short on Shinobi as it was. It seemed they all were getting older and either dying on S-ranks, or retiring to start a normal, civilian life. Haru sighed. At least there were more generations to come. But it seemed that this era of peace really was going to weaken Konohagakure.

She sighed again, pinching the bridge of her nose as she walked to her usual examination room. That thought had been one of Orochimaru's in the past. It seemed as though he'd underestimated them all those years ago. They were very strong at that point. But now even Haru wasn't so sure. And she was one of the Shinobi for the village.

Haru undressed, putting on that annoying paper gown that patients had to wear. For her kind of checkup, it seemed necessary. Nurses would have to search her clothing and her backpack later. It was as if she was some kind of master spy who decided to be a double agent.

Then again, wasn't that what she was? Haru propped herself up onto the cold examination table, touching her finger to her lip thoughtfully. She didn't really tell Orochimaru anything about the Leaf, to be honest. He never asked. It seemed as though he already knew what he wanted to know. Either that, or he didn't want to lose in another attack against the village.

As Tsunade walked in, she actually had a smile on her face. She had been happy ever since she successfully stopped Ichirou's eye bleeding. It was a miracle for a Medic to do so, even one as skilled as she was.

The bleeding of Ichirou's eyes were only for the fact that he was way too young to possess the Sharingan. But he would be fine as long as Haru and Sasuke were able to control the use until he was four or five. Then Sasuke could begin training him as much as he needed to.

"How are you feeling, Haru-chan?" Tsunade asked. "Are you ready for your checkup?"

"Yes, lucky for me I get free medical treatment," Haru laughed in reply. "That's why I'll only have you as my doctor."

"I work as a volunteer more than anything else," the retired Hokage replied, shrugging her shoulders. "Besides, why would I ask you to pay me? I'm not Shizune or Sakura."

Haru simply nodded at her statement. Shizune was great, but she was working in her own practice in another country. She was just like her master, always eager to travel and do new things. But now that Tsunade was almost in her sixties, she wasn't going to be able to pull off such a life anymore. Even if she was inhumanly strong and powerful.

As usual, they began with blood pressure and her breathing. Then Tsunade began to feel throughout Haru with her chakra.

Haru almost liked the sensations of feeling foreign chakra inside her own body. It was, in its own way, exciting to her. She almost wished she would have shown interest in the medical field when she was younger. There were never enough Medic-Shinobi, it seemed. It was always good to have at least one on a squad, although Tsunade and Sakura both proved that they didn't really need all that much protection.

"Are things going well in Oto?"

Haru jumped. It seemed she'd zoned out for a moment. The Medic was clearly focused on her work, searching through Haru carefully as usual. And yet she still made small talk.

"I suppose so," she answered, looking toward the wall. "Orochimaru-sama is being rather supportive of my Kekkei Genkai training."

"Yeah, I guess there's nothing else to do there, ne?"

Haru laughed casually. "I guess. He always wants me to be nearby if not in his sight. It's almost like he's a stalker. I've only gone on three missions since he's had me around."

"A mission a month? Please tell me he's paying you well."

Haru blushed at the joke. If Tsunade knew that she and Orochimaru had been having sex-or making love, as Orochimaru calls it-Haru would have the shit punched out of her. Sleeping with one of the most dangerous people on the planet was not good in the Hokage's eyes. Especially if he was a rogue-nin, the Kage of Oto, and a murdering, sadistic, super-genius.

That got Haru daydreaming about something totally different. She began to daydream being like a mob wife…

She shuddered as Tsunade's chakra reached her lower body, her hand following right on track. She hadn't been feeling very well in the mornings, and was getting hungrier during the day. She was having night terrors as well, and they were getting worse. Poor Orochimaru thought he'd had trouble handling her when she was going through puberty. This was just ridiculous.

"Oh, god," Tsunade said, snapping Haru from her thoughts. Her hand rested just over Haru's lower belly, where…

"Shit."

"Haru, listen, this isn't good," Tsunade said. "This is going to cause a lot of problems."

"What could make it worse!" She was pregnant. She knew it. She internally damned herself. Sasuke wasn't ready for another child! They could barely manage the first month after Ichirou was born, and that was a living-

"There are two of them."

Time stopped. Haru zoned out. Suddenly she was alone. In her own little world.

And then Tsunade's chakra signature changed inside her, feeling almost hostile, and Haru gripped the woman's wrist. "What the fuck are you doing, Tsunade?" she asked.

"I'm eliminating the problem," she stated bluntly.

Haru began to put pressure on the Sannin's wrist, her knuckles paling. "Why on earth would you eliminate my children?" It wasn't like there was anything wrong with twins. Sasuke would be overjoyed.

"One of them was conceived almost a week later than the other."

Haru let out a nervous snort. "That's not even possible, Sasuke and I-"

"One was conceived while you were home, and the other was not."

She laughed, growing more nervous. "That's the most insane thing ever, Tsunade. How could I even be capable of doing such a thing?"

"Because you got off that birth control even though I told you not to!"

The kunuoichi paled. If one child was nearly a week older than the other… then that meant…

"Oh, no."

"See what I mean? I'm not an idiot, Haru. I know that one of these children is Orochimaru's. That's why I'm going to eliminate it."

"No, don't do that."

"What the hell do you mean! This could ruin your marriage and your reputation!"

"Since when do I care what people have to say about me, Tsunade!" Haru jumped off the examination table, feeling the cold breeze on her skin through the gown. "I have a say in this, and so does Sasuke _and_ Orochimaru!"

"Why can't we just fix the problem so we don't have anything else to solve?"

"Since when is pregnancy a problem? I'm married, I have a home, and-"

"One of your children belong to the devil, that's what."

"Orochimaru-sama is _not _the devil, so don't even-"

"Two months ago you said that you would never bring a child into this kind of situation! What happened to that?"

Haru was silent. She had said that. And she also thought that the last thing Orochimaru needed was procreation. That she would never have anyone's child except for Sasuke's.

Well, technically, _one_ of her unborn children was an Uchiha. The other was the spawn of the most dangerous man in existence.

Haru leaned back onto the table, putting her face in her hands. "What am I going to do?"

Why wasn't anything going according to plan? It was bad enough that stupid Orochimaru had to come back and spoil her life, but she hadn't planned for this at all. She'd cheated on her husband, got pregnant by her husband _and _another man _at the same damn time_, and was even starting to love the other man just as much as she loved her own family. Her life was way too complicated for her own good.

"You're going to let me eliminate the younger child, that's what you're going to do."

Her head snapped back up. "That's not an option."

Tsunade sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "It _is_ an option, you just don't like it."

"I'm not going to take the life of something that hasn't even had a chance to live yet!" "Why on earth are you thinking like that? That child should _not_ be there! You know it as well as I do. And Orochimaru isn't going to be as supportive as you think he is. Hell, he'll probably extract it and try to turn it into the perfect vessel so he won't have to transfer bodies!"

Haru's eyes began to water. She sniffled for a moment, before huffing and poking out her chest proudly. "Orochimaru-sama would never do that to me."

"Ha! And what makes you think that?"

Haru didn't even hesitate to answer. Tsunade was supposed to be her best friend, after all. "Because we love each other."

Someone could have heard a pin drop in that room for the next two minutes. The friends just stared at each other. Haru's gaze was more of a glare, while Tsunade's was a daze. Yes, Haru really just admitted out loud that she loved Orochimaru and that he loved her. And no, she didn't give a fuck.

Tsunade suddenly turned away and grabbed Haru's clothes, tossing them to her. "I'll tell them I searched your clothes. Go home and see your husband. Your results will be sent to you in the morning."

Haru quickly dressed and headed for the door. On her way out, she heard Tsunade call, "I sure hope you know what you're doing, Haru."

No, she had no idea what she was doing. But she was just going to take it all one step at a time.

* * *

><p>The next morning, Haru had a letter prepared to be sent to Otogakure, addressed to Orochimaru:<p>

* * *

><p><em>Orochimaru-sama,<em>

_Yes, I know that I just got back yesterday and I'm writing you even though I will see you in a week. I get how ridiculous it is. I'm just giving you a week to think on your own without any pressure or anything. _

_I have some news for you. I don't know if you'll like it, which is the reason why I'm writing you._

_I'm fucking pregnant._

_With yours __**and**__ Sasuke's child. Explain this shit to me, will you?_

_Tsunade said it had something to do with the fact that I got off my birth control awhile back. I've been wanting Sasuke and I to have another child, but I was afraid he'd say no if I said something. So I just kinda stopped taking my birth control so I could accidentally get pregnant._

_I guess I got what I wanted. I just didn't realize that I was this fertile._

_Your child is currently almost a week younger than Sasuke's. I am seven weeks along. In a couple months, I will know genders. _

_I just wanted to know what you wanted me to do. If you wanted me to terminate our child. I refuse to terminate the child I've conceived with my husband, no matter what you threaten me with. But for you and I to have a kid… I'm sorry, but I'm not sure how it's gonna work out. We aren't married, I'm back and forth between my family…_

_Anyway, just think about it, will you? Lemme know what you think when we meet again._

_See you in six days!_

_Haru_

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><p>She used a jutsu to have a snake deliver it for her, as she didn't trust the falcons these days. She didn't even trust the delivery ninja, and they were the best at their jobs. If anyone were to find out about her pregnancy, they would ruin Sasuke's reputation. And for clans like his, reputations were everything.<p>

"Hey, your results from the doctor are in," Sasuke called, walking in from the kitchen. "Want me to look for you?"

Haru shrugged, her pulse going wild. Sasuke must have noticed the difference in her chakra signature, as he raised an eyebrow at her. After a moment of silence, Haru could hear the sound of the envelope ripping. She could picture onyx eyes scanning over the paper with indifference, and could even picture how they were probably widening when her pregnancy test came back positive. She just kept her eyes on the floor and kept to her imagination.

"Is the baby his?" Sasuke asked. Haru whipped her head around to face her husband.

"What the fuck are you talking about?"

"I saw the disk. Did you forget that Orochimaru had security cameras in every part of his house except for the halls around our bedrooms?"

She felt her face turn red. She was on tape. And her husband had seen the tape. Oh, god. Oh god, oh god, oh _god_. "Sasuke…"

"I know you did it for Ichirou." She stopped. "I know you did it so that he could survive. I know you weren't expecting anything to happen. But I just need to know if the baby is his or not."

Haru sighed. Sasuke didn't blame her. Even though she had enjoyed every _second_ of that night, her own husband said that it was okay. But he didn't know that it really wasn't okay at all. Nothing was okay.

"Tell me, Haru. I know that Tsunade-sama told you."

"I'm pregnant with twins."

Sasuke's eyes got wider, if possible. "So you're…"

"I'm having two children, yes, and one was conceived one week after the other."

"What the fuck?"

"Yeah, that's what I thought, too," she said with a laugh. "The older child is yours, from that night we didn't pull out. The younger, however, belongs to Orochimaru, since he didn't even bother."

"Did you know that there was a chance of you getting pregnant by him?"

"Those things don't run through your mind when you have sex, Sasuke. All you're thinking about is… You know…"

"Yeah, don't remind me," he snapped. "What are you going to do?"

"Well, Orochimaru has a sayso in this. But I'm not going to eliminate your child. So don't worry about that."

"As long as you're carrying my baby, I want to be around you the entire time. I'm not going to let anything happen to you."

"You were absent for three months of my first pregnancy, Sasuke."

"Yes, for an ANBU mission! And I'll tell Naruto-"

"No one is going to know until the situation is settled!"

Sasuke sat down beside her, grabbing her hand and squeezing tightly. "I love you, Haru. And I don't want you to have to suffer." He placed his free hand on her lower abdomen. "Even if there's something in there that isn't mine, my child is still there, too."

"And if Orochimaru doesn't want me to eliminate his child?"

"It's not up to that bastard, it's up to you. If you don't want to carry his baby, then don't fucking do it."

"But what if I want to?"

He let go of her, then, and stood. His eyes were filled with disbelief. "Why would you want to?" he asked.

"Why would I destroy something that hasn't had a chance to live yet, Sasuke?" she asked in response. "The children inside of me are innocent; both of them."

"And when the villagers ask questions…"

"I'll tell them that they belong to you, and as far as I'm concerned, they do. So you're going to shut up and be happy for me."

He didn't say anything, then. He just walked out and walked about the Uchiha complex. As much as he wanted to be happy, the thought that Orochimaru's seed was sharing a womb with his own disgusted him. He wasn't sure how to handle it. He really didn't think Haru knew how to handle it, either.

But he would support her and her decision. She was still his wife. And they still loved each other.

"God, the things I do for love," he mumbled, punching a nearby post. It shattered to pieces. And he felt better.

Maybe he and the Kyuubi should spar. It had been awhile, after all.


	18. Chapter 18

**Hello again! Sorry about the late update. I've been trying to figure out an end to this fanfiction, and I'm trying to work on a few new ones that popped up into my head a few weeks ago. **

**Anyway, please enjoy! R&R! No flames, please!**

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><p><em>After almost eight long years, she finally found him.<em>

_She still couldn't believe he just went back to his old place, without even thinking anything would be wrong._

_Maya had always been Orochimaru-sama's favorite. She knew that she was. He'd only paid more attention to Haru because he felt sorry for her. But Maya was prettier than the snow flower any day, with her long, sea-green hair and her soft brown eyes. Her dark complexion was natural, being from the desert and such. _

_She remembered when her Orochimaru-sama died. That dirty Uchiha killed him, taking him away. Poor Maya almost killed herself when he died, but she decided that Orochimaru would want her to be stronger than that. _

_But now Orochimaru-sama was alive! He'd somehow cheated death and came back to the world of the living-and Maya knew why. _

_All for her._

_Even if Orochimaru-sama had never shown it, even if he'd always dismissed her when she tried to get too close or too personal, he cared. He loved her. He wanted her, she could tell. And Maya wouldn't give up on him. No one could stop her. Not even Haru, that little bitch that ruined everything._

_Yeah, Haru ruined Maya's chance with Orochimaru-sama. She used some kind of evil charm, acting like she'd hated Orochimaru-sama all those years. But Maya knew that secretly Haru had been seducing the man the whole time. And her "secret" relationship with Uchiha Sasuke had all been a fluke-she just wanted to make Orochimaru-sama jealous. But it didn't work. Orochimaru-sama was smarter than that. And he loved Maya. Not her. Not the girl with the plain black hair and boring hazel eyes. _

_She snuck into the building without a problem. She could hear voices; Orochimaru-sama still kept prisoners. Prisoners to be tortured or made into vessels. She just couldn't believe that there weren't any traps or anything that could-_

_Suddenly she was falling. Orochimaru-sama hadn't lost his touch._

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><p>"Hey, you, wake up."<p>

Maya only stirred. She was having the most magnificent dream of she and Orochimaru-sama taking over the world together. It was not something that she wanted to wake up from. Ever.

"Maya!"

God, that voice was so obnoxious. She remembered how much it used to annoy her. Fuck that little girl. Maya was closer to Orochimaru-sama's age, anyway. They were perfect for each other-

Something metal struck something, maybe a wall, making a very loud noise. This brought Maya to sit up quite quickly and spin around in the dark room she was in. there were other voices around her. Was she in a cell? Did Orochimaru-sama really forget who she was?

She saw a female figure standing there, but her eyes hadn't yet adapted to the darkness. "Who're you?" Maya demanded, slowly standing up to reach for her weapon pouch.

Naturally, it wasn't there. Damn. Of course they would take it.

"Did someone knock you on the head, or has your memory always been this shitty?"

"Didn't your mother ever tell you not to use such language?" If they wanted to be a smartass, Maya could definitely be a smartass back.

"I'm sure she would have, if your obsession hadn't stolen me from her," the voice retorted. God, that voice was so annoying, just like-

"Haru? Are you in here, love?" another familiar voice called. A voice that she could never forget. The voice of her lover… well, future lover. He would be thrilled to find that she was back to serve him again. She knew it.

"Yeah, Maya snuck her way into the facility," Haru replied. Her figure turned away from the bars that were holding Maya back from kicking her ass.

Not that she could, anyway. She could feel the chakra seals burning into her arms, draining her of her power. But she would still give it her might. Anything to make Orochimaru-sama look at her instead of Haru.

"Still stalking, eh?" Haru chuckled, turning back to face the woman in the cell. "You know that Orochimaru died. How did you hear of him coming back?"

"She's a stalker, _Ha-ru_, she knows when I blink my eyes," Orochimaru laughed. "I just want to know why she came back here. I'm sure she's built a life out there for herself somewhere."

Orochimaru-sama was right. She did have a new life. She was a painter in the land of Waves. She painted houses, pots, portraits, anything she could do to get a little money. It was a modest, humble life.

That didn't mean that she didn't go on missions. She was secretly paid by a few mob bosses to take people out every now and again. That was only thanks to her reputation because of Orochimaru-sama, though. She wouldn't survive as a painter alone without her skills she'd learned from him.

"I say we skip the explanation and kill her."

"Wait, wait! Orochimaru would never do that to me!" Maya shouted. "He loves me!"

"Did you really just drop the honorific?" Haru asked, now putting her hand on her hip. "I'm almost jealous. You really must have a thing for this guy."

"Excuse me? Why would you be jealous of something you could never have?"

There was a small breeze. Maya's face hit the wall. How did Haru get into the cell without opening the door? Had Maya been under a genjutsu, and the bitch had been in there the whole time?

"I've had him wrapped around my finger for more than ten years, and you know it," Haru hissed in her ear. "And I still have the _respect_to address him as my superior. And there's no way in hell that you're above me."

"I'll always be above you in _his _eyes, Uchiha Haru."

She was hit in the back of the head. Haru must have hit a pressure point, because all went darker than it already was.

* * *

><p>"That arrogant bitch!" Haru chimed as she was stirring the noodles that were boiling on the stove. Orochimaru was watching her from the table, grinning like a fool. He loved it when she got this way. Worked up over something so trivial. She used to get that way when Orochimaru wasn't respected the way she should have been. She had done it to everyone who stepped out of line, even when she was close to them.<p>

* * *

><p>"<em>Haru, how was your chakra training today?" Sasuke asked. They were eating in the usual dark kitchen, in the usual dark manner. Usually, everyone was quiet. This was probably only the second or third time that Sasuke has initiated conversation. <em>

_The two sat across from each other, while Orochimaru and Kabuto sat across from each other as well. Sasuke was sixteen at this point. _

"_It sucked, like it always does." Haru was always blunt. She picked at her fried rice with her chopsticks. It was true; training really had been awful that day. The poor girl couldn't concentrate long enough to focus her chakra. Something was on her mind, and Orochimaru wished he could pick in her brain and figure out what it was. Sometimes it concerned him that there was a male in her life, but it didn't make sense. There wouldn't be anyone here who had her standards. There wasn't anyone good enough for her. _

_Except for him. There was always him. _

"_Well, maybe if you weren't so distracted all the time, you might be able to get it right," Kabuto chimed in, rather rudely in fact, with a small smirk on his face. He hastily stuffed some rice in his mouth as he pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. _

"_Can it, asshole," Haru snapped, suddenly breaking her chopsticks between her fingers. "We can't all lack so much in life that all we can focus on are our skills. Some of us have other things to do besides serve Orochimaru-sama."_

"_Oh?" Now Orochimaru was curious. Though he knew very well not to mess with a teenage girl, he was ever so _curious_. "And what do you have better to do?"_

_A small blush ran across the young girl's face. He referred to her as a girl because she really wasn't considered a woman yet, not at only eighteen. _

"_I just… I have other things on my mind, is all."_

"_Like what?"_

"_Private things. You know, like… womanly things."_

_It was cute when she didn't know what to say. Absolutely adorable. She was growing up and didn't really know how to take it yet. Puberty had been hell. He'd never actually had to put up with a _female_ going through it. Then again, boys were different. They didn't mature nearly as fast as women did. And they knew it. _

_Sasuke was looking down at his food. He looked like he wanted to say something, but he wasn't quite sure how to say it. Or, what to say, in fact. _

"_Well, don't let those kinds of things get in the way of you being a ninja." Kabuto had been quietly observing the teenage girl while finishing his dinner._

"_It's not like I have another girl to talk to about this stuff, so how can it not get in the way?" Haru asked. Sasuke was blushing at the other side of the table. He had a weird look in his eyes. _

"_You could always talk to Maya, you know," Orochimaru chimed, amusement in his voice. "She's not that bad."_

"_That little bitch needs to stay away from me," Haru growled, pushing her empty bowl away from her. "I swear one day I'm going to be the end of her."_

"_Jealous, are we?" Kabuto mumbled as he got up from his seat. _

"_I have no reason to be." Haru crossed her arms proudly._

"_Are you sure?" Orochimaru joked. Yes, he'd picked on her when she got a little older. It had just felt right at the time. Kabuto agreed. _

"_I'm quite sure." Haru sighed. She was growing used to it. This was her everyday life. And had been for quite some time. "I'm just saying, I wish I had someone to talk to about stuff like this, you know?"_

"_I suppose." The Sannin collected his plate. Sasuke was the only one who hadn't finished eating, just staring at his food. But he finally decided to speak as Orochimaru was heading toward the sink with his dishes:_

"_Maybe if you had waited long enough to let her make the choice, she would be excellent." Haru's eyes widened. Orochimaru turned to scowl at the boy. "But you and your selfishness decided to kidnap her and make her live a life of solitude so that she'll never understand the outside world!"_

"_Haru understands everything she needs to," Orochimaru hissed at the boy. _

"_You may think that, but do you even talk to her about normal things?" Ah, so that was the point. "You're using her for her abilities, just like you do everything else. The least you could have done was let her make the choice on her own, you know."_

_As soon as there was a kunai to the Uchiha's neck, he was flipping Haru over onto the table, cracking it in half. Just as quickly, Haru grabbed him by the wrist and flung him into the wall, jumping up and grabbing him by the collar before he had time to dodge. Her blade dug into his skin, causing no bleeding but it would be more than a little irritated later. _

"_Do _not_ question Orochimaru-sama's motives." She was clearly upset. Sasuke must have said something wrong to her. "It's none of your business what he does to me. We are both pawns in his little game."_

_She let him go, then, and walked away. Orochimaru just smirked. Sasuke looked angry, then depressed, then just plain pissed off. He walked out the door and went in the opposite direction Haru had gone in._

* * *

><p>"You're thinking about the time I attacked Sasuke, aren't you?"<p>

"Damn, you're good."

Haru laughed. "I was such a weird kid."

Orochimaru shrugged. "We were all weird in our own way, I suppose. It just depends what you do with it."

"Look at where I ended up, Orochimaru."

"Speaking of your current condition, I would like it if you would sit down so we could talk."

"Oh, really?" Haru asked. This was going to be interesting. It had been more than an entire month, and the two hadn't discussed her pregnancy one bit. She had come back and gone again and they still hadn't talked about it. And here in another month she will find out the sexes of the babies.

She sat down across the table from the Sannin, crossing her arms. "Please be blunt with me. Don't beat around the bush."

"As you wish, my love," he said quietly, turning in his chair to face her. He looked almost sad. "I want you to terminate both of them."

Time stopped. Haru just stared at him. She could feel a bit of rage bubbling up inside of her, but she ignored the feeling for a minute. Surely he had a legitimate reason to not only terminate his child, but to try and force Haru to kill her husband's?

"I don't want my child to share a womb with Uchiha's," Orochimaru began, "and I don't want to make your situation any worse than it is."

She stood, fists slamming into the table. Splinters went into her knuckles, but she lost all sense of caring. "Are you telling me that you are just realizing how awful my situation is, Orochimaru-sama?"

"I've known, Haru, but I wasn't listening to you or myself. I know that you're unhappy going from place to place."

"Oh, so now you're feeling human?" Haru was almost screaming at him. Tears started to pour down her face. "I walk around and pretend that nothing bothers me, that I'm just fine, and wonder how my son is doing. I miss my husband so much and yet all you do is sit there and talk about how I should be with you!"

"I know that you should be with me, and I want you to-"

"If you tell me to stay here, I won't do it!" she interrupted quickly. "Go ahead and start a war with Konoha, I'll take my son and husband and move to an entirely different country! I'll go to the other side of the planet if I have to!"

The snake-nin's eyes narrowed. "And what about my child, Haru?"

"Sasuke would be a better father than you, anyway."

She was against the wall. Her breath left her lungs. She was so angry she'd let her guard down. Stupid.

He held her tight at the throat. "Don't you compare me to him again, Haru, or you'll regret it."

"I hate you." She kicked him back quickly, landing on her knees as he flew back. "I hate everything you are and everything you stand for!"

She was still choking. He really had slammed her hard. There were pieces of wood coming down from the wall. He looked at her from across the room.

"If you hate me so much, why do you love me, Haru?"

Her eyes squeezed shut. "I don't know."

"Well, you might want to get yourself to Tsunade and get that taken care of, like I asked. Otherwise I'll have to do it myself."

Haru almost laughed. "Why don't you do it yourself, you asshole?"

"Because I'm not about to murder my own flesh and blood. Now go."

He walked away then. Haru stayed on her knees, clutching her swollen belly and catching her breath. At least he hadn't hit her where the babies would be. That would have been bad. But she could feel the bruises forming on her back. How was she going to explain that one to Sasuke?

She went into the bedroom to get her things, Orochimaru nowhere to be found. Haru could hear a distant scream from across the house.

"Taking your anger out on your pawns?" she said aloud. "Disgusting bastard."

She put on her wedding band, hid her Oto tattoo, and set out. Only this time, she didn't try to hide the scar over the Konoha tattoo on her hand. She had no reason to anymore. Not after what she was going to do.


	19. Chapter 19

**Hello, all! Sorry it's been so long. I'm actually working on a new fanfiction from FMA at the moment, but trying to make it modern. And something with gangs. Yeah, a lot of gang action. I'm just trying to figure out whether to make it modern or go with all the alchemy and such. Idk. I think I'll just write it shorthand and figure out how it goes. **

**Anywho, here is Chapter 19 of _I Hate Everything About You_. Please enjoy, R&R, disclaimers in profile :)**

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><p>He wondered how she was doing.<p>

He wondered if Orochimaru had convinced her to terminate his child yet.

He wondered if she'd cried when she did it, if she felt any regret at all.

But most of all, she wondered if she would come back.

It had been almost two whole months, and Sasuke hadn't heard from Haru. She still hadn't come back, even though she was supposed to return over a month ago. He was keeping Naruto from declaring her as a rogue, but he didn't know how long he could keep the Hokage from making his choice. It seemed that she'd chosen to forget about her old life and go back to being who she really was.

A highly trained assassin under the bidding of the most dangerous man in the world.

Or had she just chose to run away? No, that wasn't like Haru. She wouldn't abandon Sasuke, not without good reason. She especially wouldn't abandon their son. She loved Ichirou more than anything. If she didn't, she would have let Orochimaru kill him from the start.

But if that wasn't the case, then where on earth was she?

* * *

><p>"This ain't a good idea."<p>

Naruto was beyond pissed. After being more than a month late, Haru and Tsunade want to show up in his office, demanding that Haru keep her citizenship, but be able to just leave the village. Like Tsunade had for god knows how long she had been gone. Just abandoning everyone like it was no big deal. She was pregnant with _twins_, for god's sake!

"Please, Naruto, it's temporary, I'll be back!"

"Really? When!?"

She was silent. Because Naruto knew that she probably wouldn't come back.

"You can send for me when you need me. And I'll send for Tsunade throughout the pregnancy. She can fill out reports on me. Please. I need to get out of here."

"And start a war between two countries who already have enough conflict?"

"Naruto!" Tsunade was a little buzzed and more than a little angry. "This girl has been at my house for two whole weeks, scared shitless of what to do! She's made her decision, and I expect you to support her leaving just as much as you would respect me leaving!"

Naruto was beginning to get frustrated with both his best friend's wife and the closest thing he had to a mother in all of his life. "How do I know she's not going back to the snake, huh? She could be playing all of us!"

Haru reached into the back pocket of her pants and slammed some folded papers on the table.

"I've had my old house in my home village rebuilt for some time. Orochimaru has paid for it to be refurnished. He paid for it all a year before he died." She looked sad at the statements she was making. "I hired someone last month to start looking after it until I got there. And now I'm ready."

Naruto rubbed his face. They had been arguing for an hour. It had been a really long afternoon.

* * *

><p>He regretted it every day.<p>

She hadn't taken off in the direction of Konoha, either. She had headed toward Mist. And that couldn't be good. He wondered what on earth she'd be doing out there.

Maybe she just wanted to sit in the snow and think for awhile. Make her decision. And he knew that she'd make the right one.

That was something else he'd admired about her. She was smart. Very smart. Was she a tiny bit ADD? Yes. But ingenious other than that.

He remembered every night from the week before she left. That was when he was noticing that she really was pretending. She really had hated what she was having to go through. It drove her mad.

* * *

><p><em>The two lay awake in bed. She stared at the wall on the other side of the room, facing away from him. He looked up at the ceiling. It was the first time they hadn't cuddled before sleeping. Something was wrong. Then again, pregnancy hormones did that to a woman.<em>

"_Do you want to talk, Haru?"_

_She didn't say anything to him. She just laid there. He could hear that the few servants he had around were being kept awake. The tension must have been equal to screaming at each other throughout the night. He could sense it, too. Her mind was screaming at him. And his was screaming back. But who knows what they were saying to each other?_

"_Haru?"_

"_Please just shut up."_

"_Is something wrong?"_

"_No." Her voice was shaky. Almost like she was holding back tears. "I'm just tired. I don't want to talk."_

_He shrugged. She would be fine. Mood swings were common during early pregnancy. Or maybe she was stressing that they hadn't discussed the pregnancy yet. He just wasn't in the mood to discuss it with her. Not yet. _

_Mainly because he wasn't sure how to feel about being a father._

_Or that his child was sharing a womb with another man's seed, just inches away from each other._

* * *

><p>What was she doing? She needed to come back. He missed her. He longed for her to be here with him. He couldn't stand being away from her for a week, much less a whole two months.<p>

And the bad part was, she could have run to Sasuke, and they were running away together to go into hiding. Take his child away from him. Take his everything from him. Yes, Haru _was_ his everything. And she had been since she was sixteen years old. Some people would call it disgusting, and others would call him obsessed.

He thought about it all the more. He was _clearly_ obsessed with the younger woman. Very much obsessed with her. Somehow every thought he had would lead him back to thinking about her. And it drove him mad. But he loved it. He loved thinking about her. He loved talking about her.

God, he had to find a way to get her back.

* * *

><p>The snow falling against her skin felt amazing. If it weren't for her better sense, she would strip down into shorts and a tee shirt and roll around in it.<p>

Ichirou was looking around like he was in Wonderland. He had never seen snow before.

She brought him into their new home, her bags having been sent a week before. She left Ichirou to a snack as she began to put everything away. She would be in her parents' old room now, and had built on a room for Ichirou. She'd been planning this for a long time. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew that one day she'd be back here.

She just wished Sasuke was here with her.

* * *

><p>It was done. She was gone.<p>

Naruto patted his best friend on the shoulder. They were sitting in the tavern, having drinks. Well, the Uchiha was well past drunk. He could barely talk anymore. And the sad thing was that it was pathetic to see him this way. Naruto wondered briefly if this was how Sasuke felt when he had to carry Naruto home on the nights he had too much to drink.

_Nah_, Naruto thought, _there's no way in hell I get this bad._

Sasuke had his head down, his face invisible. The Hokage wasn't sure what his best friend was thinking. Sure, Naruto wasn't happy about it either, but it was what was best for her. Haru needed to get away for awhile. She needed to set things straight.

And no one was worried about the upcoming war. Naruto had given her signed permission to leave and live outside the village for as long as she pleased, and signed Ichirou to her as well.

Her marriage was still legal. She and her son were still citizens of the Leaf. She might soon be on maternity leave. But then again, she still had awhile before she wouldn't be able to be on active duty. She would just have to adopt new methods of training. Surely, Tsunade could help with all that nonsense.

But Naruto wasn't worried about Haru. She made a conscious decision that would be best for her and her son. It was Sasuke he was worried about.

"Say, man, come on, let me take you home," the blond said quietly. "I'll stay over tonight and sleep on the couch, if that helps."

"I don't want to go home." Sasuke's voice was cracking. "I can't go back to that house without her. Without Ichirou."

"Sasuke, it'll be fine, you can go visit her whenever you get back from your next mission."

Sasuke's fist slammed down on the table. He sat upright suddenly, swiveling in his chair to look at his best friend. Naruto's eyes widened.

Tears were running down the Uchiha's face, glazing over his dark eyes. "Don't you get it?" he yelled. People began to turn around to look at them. "It's not the same! It isn't the same as seeing her every day, getting to see _my_ child every day! Don't you tell me that you would be fine with it if it was Hinata!"

People began to simply look away. How on earth could Sasuke bring Naruto's wife into this? He was just about to punch the man in the face when he heard a voice. A voice that made his blood run cold, the hairs on his body stand up.

"Little brother. Calm down."

No one was looking. They were under a Genjutsu, that was clear now. The Uchiha and the Kyuubi turned in their chairs to see none other than Uchiha Itachi in the doorway. His eyes were black (minus his Sharingan) and he was dressed in somewhat normal clothes, his cloak undone to show his face.

"I will watch over your wife in Mist for you. You don't have to worry about her."

Sasuke stood, wobbling a little. He was way too drunk. "Don't you _fucking_ say you'll do anything for me, you bastard! When she sees you, you're dead!"

The older man almost chuckled. "On the contrary, I saw her only a few months ago in Suna, and she wasn't too hostile after she realized who I was."

Sasuke's hands were forming fists. "Fuck you," he slurred. "I don't want your undead ass coming near my wife or my child."

"Don't judge me for being undead," he said. "There are plenty of things I could say to you, but I'm trying to have a change of heart."

Naruto stood, chuckling darkly. "Since when are you a peacekeeper?"

"Again, Kyuubi, I have had a change of heart, so back off before we get into a real battle that'll take you for a whirl."

Naruto felt the beast inside of him stir. He had to shake back the feeling of the anger he felt. Why would Itachi try to help Sasuke, after everything that has happened? Hell, why was the man still _alive_?

"Trust me, Sasuke." He stepped closer, placing his hand on his younger brother's shoulder. "I will take care of her. I will make sure that your son gets the training that he needs."

Sasuke looked at his brother, his angry tears still flowing down his smooth face. His head went down, his chin almost touching his chest.

"I trust you, Itachi," he whispered. "Please take care of my children until I get back."

The older man nodded, made a handsign, and was gone in a puff of smoke. Naruto had to catch Sasuke then, who was passed smooth out. He put one arm over his shoulder, preparing to take his best friend home and make sure everything would be okay tomorrow.


	20. Chapter 20

**Hello again! I am SO sorry about the late updates. Again. School is totally beating my ass right now. So I'm sorry. **

**I hope that you enjoy this chapter, even though it seems my chapters are getting shorter and shorter. I promise in the next few I'll have one that's really juicy lol XD**

**Please enjoy, R&R with no flames :)**

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><p>Itachi did keep his promise to his younger brother. He went to Mist and stayed with Haru in that cold hell she called home, training the one-year-old the best he could. He made sure that Haru was getting the proper care, and watching her grow in the middle as the months passed by. Sasuke only came by once or twice in about six months. Once, he came with a crowd, for Ichirou's birthday party. The second time he just came. He didn't speak much, but he spent the night.<p>

But he was gone before Haru woke up the next morning.

It actually seemed to make Itachi angry that his little brother was being so distant to his own wife. Not that he wanted to make the love triangle a square or anything, but he'd become close to Haru over the months that they spent together. She was the closest thing he had to a friend since Kisame, and there was no telling where that fish-man was these days. He'd seen him a few times since he began residing in Mist, but only briefly, as he was trying to show to Sasuke that he could truly protect Haru.

She rarely left the house, except to go sit in the snow and meditate. Itachi had tried to stop her, but she would shrug him off and tell him that cold was her nature. She would sit in the snow, by the pond, and practice with her Kekkei Genkai, all by herself. She never asked for any help.

Sometimes Haru would go visit a pair of graves on a hill, but that was a good distance away from her snowy home. Not that he cared. It was rather close to the Naruto Bridge. She wouldn't pay much attention to the one that was marked by a large sword, though, but would kneel before the other and cry and pray.

Of course Itachi knew that it was Haru's twin brother. He knew all about her past, thanks to a certain Shinobi.

A Shinobi that hadn't shown his face since she'd come here.

Training a one year old was possibly the hardest part of Itachi's new job description. The boy could barely talk or understand anything, even though he was very smart. Haru helped when she could, but there wasn't much that she could do, either. Itachi had only taught the boy how to keep the Sharingan at bay for whenever he actually needed it, and he didn't even understand that much. But, hey, at least he was feeding himself from the most part thanks to watching Haru and Itachi at the table.

Tsunade came to visit once a month, checking up on the health of Haru and the twins growing inside of her. She would always stay and talk awhile, catching Haru up on village business. The slug-Shinobi would also tell Itachi how to change the young woman's diet, and how to monitor her training, blah, and blah, blah. Itachi didn't like being bossed around. So he tended not to listen to what the Sannin was saying.

"Itachi! Will you help me up?" Haru called from the small den of the shack they lived in. "I hate it when this happens!"

"Jesus." She was always getting herself in positions where she couldn't get up on her own. Trying to dig under the couch to find one of her son's lost toys, or otherwise. Today she was lying on her side, between the coffee table and the couch, grinning up at the Uchiha like nothing was wrong.

"I dropped my bookmark under the table," she said with laughter in her voice. "I guess I'm not used to being this big."

She was big, all right. Tsunade had come by a few days before and said that Haru was almost ready to give birth. The woman was swollen with two unborn lives, and you could tell. Itachi had to help her pick up around the place, chase after Ichirou, and sometimes into the bathtub.

Not that Itachi minded. This was his sister-in-law, and his brother was nowhere to be found to help her out. So he was doing the right thing.

Sometimes he just wondered if he was doing it for the right reason: self-redemption, or because he really cared about his new family.

"Oh, thank the gods," Haru sighed as Itachi hauled her back onto the couch. She rubbed her belly and closed her eyes. "I'm so ready to be skinny again I can almost taste it."

As if on a cue, the woman's stomach growled. Itachi sighed again. "I'll get you something to eat."

She ate a lot. And she ate a lot of weird things. No offense to Haru, but spicy French fries in chocolate ice-cream was not normal. For anyone.

Haru got up off the couch. "It's time for Ichirou to wake up," she said quietly. "And in a couple of hours I'll cook dinner."

"You don't have to," he called. "I've already planned something really good. I need to make it before the ingredients go bad."

He could hear Haru sigh from down the small hallway. As she waddled back in, sleepy toddler in her hands, she said, "I've come up with names for the twins."

Itachi raised an eyebrow. His black and crimson eyes turned from the snack he was preparing and toward the kunuoichi. "Oh?"

"Yes. One shall be 'Yukiko," and the other 'Setsuko'. I think it's quite fitting."

"Hmm." Itachi turned back to the food, quickly putting it into a bowl. "Naming them both 'Snow Child,' eh? That's not too bad."

"Seeing as they will both be born and quite possibly raised in the snow, I think it's wonderful."

"And what about when it's time for them to enter the Academy?"

Haru gently placed Ichirou down, letting the one-year-old run off to his toys. "I haven't thought about that yet." She sat down, watching as Itachi sat before her. They began to share the simple, "nutritious" snack together. "I wish I knew more about my mother's culture so that I could teach them about it myself."

"You don't know anything about them?"

"Not a clue. Hello, parents died young, remember?"

Itachi nodded. He didn't feel much like getting onto the subject of death, much less murder.

"So, about the Academy…" she continued. She obviously knew that Itachi wanted to change the subject. "I suppose I should ask Sasuke about that one."

"What about _him_?"

Itachi was smarter than to speak his name. The last time he had done so, Haru had gone into a fit of rage. Raging pregnant ninjas are not a lovely sight, he soon realized.

The Uchiha wondered if she would react that way if the real thing showed up.

"I don't really care what he says," she answered with a shrug. "I'm having it, so it's mine. I don't really care what that asshole wants."

"And if said asshole shows up after his child is born?"

Haru looked at the man like he was wearing a weasel costume for a moment, but then she snorted in half-amusement. "There's no way in hell. He wanted me to terminate both of my children. Why would he want anything to do with it now?"

"People can change their minds."

"Try living with that stubborn bastard for twelve years. You learn very quickly that not all people change their minds."

"But what if he does, Haru? Are you telling me that he can't see his own child?"

"Do you know how bad it might fuck up my kid to have two daddies?"

"Do you know how bad it might fuck up your kid to have no daddy at all, and yet its own twin does?"

That shut her up quick. "Think about it," Itachi continued. "Sasuke will never accept that second child as his own. You know this as well as I do. There's nothing we can do about it."

He wasn't sure if he'd hurt Haru's feelings or not by saying the Sannin might come back for her. But she needed to know. There was always that possibility.

After all, Orochimaru didn't easily let go of things that he thought belonged to him.

They finished their snack in silence, and Haru excused herself to the restroom. Itachi went into the living room and kept his eyes on Ichirou. The toddler would bring him random toys, which Itachi would silently interact with for Ichirou's amusement. He never had been wonderful with children. But at least he tried.

"Itachi!" he heard Haru call. She sounded panicked. Itachi stood, and that was when he felt it-a chakra signature much darker than his own. Much more sinister than anything he'd known before. Right outside the door. He felt the hairs on his neck and arms stand straight up. He could picture the bastard poised to knock at the door. Probably expecting Haru to jump back into his arms after everything that happened.

"Itachi! Hurry!"

"I'll be right there, Haru!" he answered. She could wait. He had to get rid of some vermin first. A snake. He opened the door and saw him there, flowers in his clenched hands.

_Winter roses_, he thought.

"Speak of the devil, and he shall appear." He smirked at the Sannin. "And this time it seems to be quite literal, Orochimaru."

"I want to see her."

Itachi glared. "She doesn't want to see you."

"She has to."

Haru's chakra signature flared from across the house. He heard her sob, and began to panic. Was she having pre-contractions again? Those were really a bitch, and it drove Itachi crazy when she would freak out over them.

"Itachi!" she cried again. "I really need your help!"

Her voice almost sounded broken.

"Go to her," the Sannin said.

"Get off this property."

"Are you really so cold, not helping your sister-in-law in her time of need?"

"She'll be happy to know that I got rid of you first." Itachi's voice wasn't much more than a hiss. "Leave this place."

Orochimaru narrowed his golden eyes at the Uchiha. "You little-"

"_Uchiha Itachi_! I will _kill_ you!"

"Goddamn it," Itachi breathed and, giving Orochimaru the bird, slammed the door in his face before running to the other end of the shack. What the hell was so important that she was screaming and crying and-Itachi's thoughts were interrupted abruptly when he slipped on the tiles of the remodeled bathroom's tile floor, straight on his ass. It was… wet?

"Ugh, that's disgusting," he muttered, and looked up to see Haru. His eyes widened.

She was lying on the floor, spread-eagle, writhing in pain. Thank goodness her pants were still on, but the crotch of them were soaked almost to her knees. Her eyes were overflowing with tears, and then he realized that he was sitting in not only blood but…

"Oh, god," he said slowly. "Did your water break?"

"What the _fuck_ do you think?" she sobbed angrily. "Take me to the hot spring, goddamn it!"

"The hot spring?" he asked. "Why would-"

"Do _not _fucking question me!"

Itachi scrambled to his feet. A water birth? In this cold ass place?

He gingerly picked up the crying woman. "What about Ichirou…?"

"Please take me first, I'll take it from there until you figure that out."

He listened. He had to. Ice was beginning to form around his shoulder, shooting from her fingers. It was almost insane how her Kekkei Genkai was so strong out here.

Orochimaru's chakra was nowhere within Itachi's range. And his range was good. He could sense hidden chakra as well.

The hot spring wasn't even thirty yards away from the shack Haru had rebuilt from ruin not ten years ago. Tsunade had suggested the spring when Haru had said she'd wanted a water birth, as she had been born in the spring and Ichirou had been a water birth as well.

The spring was steaming in the snowy weather, but it couldn't be more than just very warm. It wasn't too hot for baby birth. At least, Tsunade didn't think so.

He set the sobbing kunuoichi down into the water and ran back to the house; he had to take care of Ichirou before he could go any further with this.

* * *

><p>Haru was falling apart from the inside out, and she didn't hesitate to scream.<p>

The water had soothed her nerves at first, but Itachi had put her into the spring with her clothes on. This was so not cool. She had to strip herself in the water, crying and screaming throughout the process. She lost track of whether or not she was screaming from either contractions or frustration.

_Damn that Orochimaru_, she thought. _Being in labor with a single was never this bad_…

She quickly collected herself, leaning her head back into the snow behind her. Her black hair was only halfway in the water, and would probably freeze if she took it out. She'd forgotten how cold it really was out here.

"I want you to come back, Haru."

_Fuck_. She let her guard down every time. "Go away, Orochimaru," she said through clenched teeth. "No one wants you here."

"I have to be a father to my child," he answered. His voice was deep and serious, but she could sense the loneliness in his tone. She'd heard it before, a long time ago. "I want to be there to love it. To love the both of you."

"That child won't love you when it figures out how much of a monster you really are," she said. "I'll make sure and tell it the truth, about how you-_Ohmygoddamnit_!"

Her fingers dug into the frozen grass beneath the snow, and she cried out in agony. It had been like this when having Ichirou, too. The first parts of labor were always the worst for her. In a few hours, she wouldn't be in pain anymore. She would just be irritated and pissed off at the world.

"Please don't be too loud, Haru," he said.

"Itachi… is… coming…" She was panting. Everything below her waist hurt. "If he doesn't… kill you… I promise… I will…"

"Stop your shit talking," he growled, and finally walked around the small spring to where she had to face him. He looked so very sad. "You couldn't kill me if you wanted to."

"I honestly think… after I have this baby… I'll feel nothing… for you…" Another contraction. Another angry scream. "Get Itachi in here right now!" she barked. "I'm going to kill that motherfucker!"

"You need a medic, Haru, not an ex-Akatsuki member who is undead."

She glared at the Sannin. "I hate you!" she cried. "Look what you're doing to me!"

"Getting you pregnant was not my fault. You stopped taking your birth control."

"So my _husband_ and I could have another child! Not so I could have fraternal twins!"

"Twins run in your family."

"Identical ones! As in from the same fucking _father_!" Seeing him was only making her stress worse. Making the process much more painful. Making her heart hurt. "What is your child going to do when it has no one but me, Orochimaru!? He won't have a father, just me and a sibling whose father hates his guts!"

"But I'll be there, Haru. I promise."

She was sick of this. "Make yourself useful; get Itachi for me."

"You need a medic."

"She doesn't need one as long as I'm here."

Both Haru and Orochimaru looked to the side. Walking closer was a man who was too tall to be human; his skin and hair was blue, and his small, shark-like eyes were fixed upon the two.

"Kisame?" Haru breathed. "What the fuck are you doing here?" She suddenly felt like she should get dressed; being naked in front of a stranger was not cool. Even if she had met Kisame once or twice before.

"Itachi called me," he said. "Back in my village, giving birth was something that we all had to learn early, especially water births." He grinned, revealing his rows of tiny, sharp teeth on both bottom and top jaws. "So I'm here to take Tsunade's place in the birthing process."

"Oh god, I'm left in the hands of Sharkboy."

"Where's Sasuke? Isn't he supposed to be here, too?"

"How do you know so much about my situation, huh?"

"Itachi."

"Goddamn it." Another contraction came, and she bit her lip and growled like an animal. "Get this motherfucker out of here."

Kisame looked to the Sannin. Haru did, too, and then realized that he was holding flowers. Winter roses. Her favorite. The only flowers she'd ever been given and they were when _he'd_ given them to her. It brought more tears to her eyes, and these weren't from the contractions.

Should he be given the right to be around his child? Should he have a right to even be here, with everything that's happened?

She shrieked in agony again, her body shaking. Contractions were the worst, but at least, in her case, they would get better.

"Haru!"

Oh, god, no, was Sasuke here too?

Sure enough, the bastard was running toward them at top speed.

_I hate my life right now. _


	21. Chapter 21

**Hey guys! Again, I'm so sorry about my delayed updates. I've been so busy lately that I can't get anything done. Here is Chapter 21 of "I Hate Everything About You"! I hope you enjoy, R&R, no flames please!**

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><p>Haru's life was just <em>peachy<em>.

The contractions weren't getting any better. Kisame's voice only pissed her off more, and the fathers of her children were staring each other down, not saying a word. Yeah, life sucked.

Where was Itachi, anyway? Surely he wasn't making fucking snacks while all this shit went down.

Another. Her head fell back into the snow as she screamed, "I want to die!"

That got Sasuke and Orochimaru's attention. They snapped their heads in her direction, concern melting their anger away.

She glared back at the both of them. "You both can just go!" she shouted. "You'd be doing me a favor. If you're going to stand there like idiots, please get out of Kisame's way!"

"Haru-san, they-" Kisame started.

"Shut up!" God, she was fed up with their shit. "Listen here: Kisame, Itachi and I will handle this. The only other person I want at this spring is Uchiha Itachi. He's the _only_ person who has stayed here and helped me the entire time."

Sasuke and Orochimaru both hesitated. "Haru, listen, I'm sorry-"

Her husband's apology was interrupted by Haru's screaming. "Goddamn it!" she shouted. No, these weren't going to get any easier. Her night was going to suck. How had her mother handled giving birth to twins?

Even in her weakened state, she could feel that Itachi was approaching. Where was Ichirou? Was he really being left alone?

"Go watch your son." Itachi sounded frustrated. He handed Haru a ceramic mug and then turned to the Sannin. "I told you she didn't want you here. I'm pretty sure that she still doesn't."

Haru almost dropped the mug in the water with the next contraction. The scream tore from her throat.

"Drink that, Haru."

"Look at… you… being all bossy and such," she breathed back. It was starting to snow. Was she doing that? Or was it just the fact that it always snowed here?

Itachi visibly rolled his black and crimson eyes. "Someone has to be in control, otherwise there will be chaos."

Sasuke was gone. Probably inside, watching his child, where he should be. That was good. She didn't want to see his good for nothing face, either.

* * *

><p>"<em>Sasuke, please don't leave." <em>

_He was dressing. It was the second time that he'd come to visit. She was getting bigger, but that had never been a problem when she was pregnant with Ichirou. This was just the first time they'd had sex in a long time. _

"_I have things to do, Haru. I don't have time to stay all night."_

"_Sasuke, please don't lie to me. I want you to stay."_

_He didn't look at her. He slid the door open and started to walk out. "Sorry, Haru, but I just can't do this."_

_He shut the door behind him. She started sobbing. She heard his footsteps stop halfway down the hall, as if he'd hesitated, but then he kept going. The front door shut. _

"_Why me?" she asked aloud. "Why me, goddamn it!"_

_Sasuke didn't love her anymore. Orochimaru was simply an obsessed fool who didn't want to be there for his child. She was all alone. She had no one but her son left. And he was too young to understand. That made her start thinking._

_What would she tell Ichirou when he was older? What on earth would she tell him when he realized how horrible Haru really was? Would he hate her? And could she really blame him?_

"_Calm down, Haru."_

_She jumped and pulled the covers over herself at the sound of Itachi's voice. "Don't just come in here like that, Itachi-san."_

"_Don't cry so loud you wake people up."_

_She snorted sarcastically through her tears. "It's my house. I'll cry when I please."_

"_He's treating you like shit. Don't cry over such a waste."_

_She looked up at her undead brother in law in disdain, wiping her eyes. "How could you say that about your own brother?"_

_Itachi sighed, sitting down on the edge of the bed. "I'm the oldest. If I think he's being stupid, I'll call him out on it. Just like I did a moment ago," he answered._

"_I didn't even hear you say anything to him."_

"_I didn't want you to hear what I had to say."_

_She scoffed, and then said quietly, "I just don't know what to do, Itachi. I'm tired of him hating me."_

"_He doesn't hate you," the man answered. "He just isn't sure what to do right now. He's never been in this situation."_

"_What would you do, Itachi?"_

_She'd stopped crying. Itachi grew silent. He really wasn't sure what to say. "I killed my lover with the clan," he said after a few minutes. "We never fought. We never had conflict. Nothing like this."_

"_Say you hadn't killed her, and a similar thing happened." She stopped for a moment. "I mean, you were in the Uchiha clan. Unpredictable shit happened to you all the time."_

_He laughed a little. "I suppose." He looked dazed for a moment, and his eyes glazed as if he were going to cry. "I guess if I had to deal with something like this, but I was in Sasuke's position, I would-"_

* * *

><p>"Holy fuck!"<p>

Her flashback was interrupted. Itachi held her free hand, even though ice was starting to form around it.

"Calm the fuck down!" he shouted.

"_You_ calm the fuck down!" she shouted back. Oh, this was _rich_. "Twins are about to pop outta me, you dick! Don't even start on me with 'calm down'!"

* * *

><p>The rest of the labor process was horrible. Itachi had to end up using his Sharingan to make the pain subside, as the herbal tea he'd made and the deep breathing was not helping one bit. The spring began to turn pink with blood, and Haru went into a daze.<p>

She wasn't sure what Kisame had done, but he was in the water with her at some point, making sure she was well dilated and everything was normal. Itachi stayed close by and more than once kept Haru from getting out of the water to go kill the two men in the house for doing this to her.

Soon one infant was out, and Kisame wrapped it in thick wool blankets after cutting the umbilical cord. The screams of the child outdid Haru's shouts, and two minutes later the other was coming as well.

"One more push, Haru," Kisame said to her with a grin on his face. "It's almost over. The kid's coming."

She pushed. The child came. Kisame cut the cord and wrapped the infant in wool blankets as well. Haru's head fell into the snow. The ice around Itachi's hand melted away. The infants were screaming, more than likely ready to be fed.

Haru fed the both of them before going back into the house. She was still in such a daze that she hadn't checked the genders. She just knew that the oldest, Yukiko, belonged to Orochimaru, while Setsuko belonged to her husband. They were identical, down to hair color, skin tone, and face shapes. So much for "fraternal" twins, as that's what they really were.

She carried them to the bedroom without saying a word to either of the men sitting on her couch. She put them in cribs that had been hand-carved for her by some random clan in the Leaf Village. Tsunade had invited way too many people to that thing.

It was when the two were asleep that she checked the genders. Yukiko was a boy; Setsuko, a girl. Wonderful. She could already see the toddlers bickering because Yukiko broke Setsuko's doll.

Haru quickly shook her head. She couldn't be negative about this. These were her _children_, her little miracles. She couldn't have disdain or hate or regret for them.

Now, their _fathers_, on the other hand, she could be cruel to all day long and be fine.

She called Sasuke into the bedroom first. She was sitting down on the bed holding Setsuko in her arms. She was tired. She could practically _feel_ the bags forming under her eyes. Thank god Itachi was cooking in the kitchen.

Her husband walked in with wide, eager eyes. He was probably looking forward to another son.

"This is Setsuko." Haru's voice was soft and stern at the same time. She didn't want to wake the infant, but she wanted him to know how angry she really was. "I can tell the difference between the two quite easily; the eyes are different."

Sasuke snorted, but she could tell it was all an act. He gently took Setsuko into his arms, and when she said it was a girl, his eyes glittered with what she was sure were tears. He was excited. Even if it wasn't a boy, he was excited.

"She looks just like you, Haru," he whispered.

Haru shrugged, exhaustion making her yawn. "Eh, she'll get bigger and look like an Uchiha."

"I hope she doesn't."

She met his eyes then. He smiled sadly at her. "I want her to look just like you."

She rolled her eyes at him. He held Setsuko for another moment before putting her back in her crib, and then embraced Haru as tightly as he could.

"I'm so sorry," he whispered. "I'm sorry for everything. I can't believe how I felt…" She had to pull away and sit down. Her legs were shaking. "Now that I see our daughter, and how gorgeous she is, I don't want to ever leave you or her or Ichirou ever again."

"Well I have another son, Sasuke. That's something we will have to discuss eventually."

His eyes darkened as he looked toward the crib beside Setsuko's. Haru jumped up. "Don't blame Yukiko for this," she snapped. "He didn't ask for any of this. He's as innocent as his twin sister and his older brother."

Sasuke snorted again before leaving the room. That time it was real. She sat back down. This wasn't going to work. Somehow, this wasn't going to work at all. She had no idea what on earth she was going to do about this.

Orochimaru entered a few minutes later, and watched her sit there for what seemed like an hour before he spoke.

"Where is my child, Haru?"

Haru pointed toward the second crib, her eyes locked on it. She didn't want to speak to him or want him to be there, but he had every right to see his son. Every right.

The Sannin walked over slowly, wordlessly placing the winter roses in Haru's lap. He peered into the crib with curious eyes that softened into loving in a matter of three seconds. She'd never even seen him look at her that way. Well, the looks had been similar, but nothing like that.

"You look like Sasuke when he saw Ichirou," she said with a small laugh. "Seeing your first child is a crazy thing, you know."

"The… the name?" Orochimaru seemed to have a hard time speaking. That didn't happen much.

She started to lie down. She couldn't take this. She needed sleep, as did her new babies. "Your son's name is Yukiko. It means 'Snow Child.' Please, let me rest."

To her shock, he actually nodded, kissing her on the forehead before he left the room. He didn't say a word to her. But she could hear everything he wanted to say. Every whisper, shout, scream, growl. Everything.

It was funny, she thought, how even though she loved her husband with everything she had, she couldn't hear him like that.

* * *

><p><strong>Alright, guys, sorry that it's so freaking short! I really had a bad case of writer's block on the birth chapter. I've also been working on a fanfiction that I wrote YEARS ago, but it's totally freaking crazy! It's a crossover between an anime and a videogame that wouldn't even make sense going together, but when I was thirteen I somehow made it work. And now with my sketches of them, I think I may be able to pull it off. Maybe. <strong>

**Anyway, maybe I won't take as long with the next chapter. Buh-bye!**


	22. Chapter 22

**Hello, all! I've been busy with my "Silent Hill" fanfiction and haven't been able to get my hands on this one. But I decided to buckle down and give a chapter. I still have no idea which of these boys will win in the end, but I'll have it figured out when it's time to. Til then, I'm going to enjoy the ride. And I hope that you enjoy it as well. Please R&R, no flames please.**

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><p>Itachi stayed with her in her snowy home. Orochimaru and Sasuke left later in the night, not bearing each other's presence longer than necessary.<p>

Haru didn't take notice to any of it. She slept. Like a baby. Well, her new twins didn't sleep nearly as easily. But she knew how it worked, having to wake up every few hours to tend to a newborn. It was taking care of two of them at once that was exhausting her.

By the time the twins were three months old, they were crawling on their own. At least they slept throughout the night thanks to their good feeding schedule.

"Itachi, will you change Setsuko's diaper while I get Yukiko's?" she called to the man in the kitchen. He was trying to make dinner while she got the kids cleaned up. It seemed as though they were the married ones. Neither Sasuke or Orochimaru had come to see the twins since their birth. Tsunade had cried upon holding Yukiko, saying that he was as beautiful as his mother. Naruto had even stopped in, grinning like a madman at the sight of them.

Itachi came in, wiping his hands with a washcloth. "You should learn to multitask," he said.

"No way, dude, that's too hard when one's a boy and one's a girl."

Ichirou walked up to them, holding a picture he colored. Haru tried to acknowledge him the best she could, but he wasn't satisfied with just that. He kept putting it in her face. She stopped everything at once, and sighed heavily. Itachi just looked at her.

She was exhausted. She needed more help than just him. He didn't know the first thing about taking care of an infant, even though he'd watched Sasuke a multitude of times when they were younger. She also needed to get out of here, even if it was her childhood home rebuilt. There wouldn't be enough room for all of them soon enough.

"Maybe you should go rest for a minute," he said. "I'll take over from here."

"No, if I go to sleep now I won't wake up until in the morning, and I'm going to meditate after I put the twins to bed."

"Whatever you say, Haru."

Dinner was quiet, as it always was. She fed the twins afterward, her breasts aching. But it would be over soon. She'd be switching them to formula in a month. Then she could give her breasts the love and rest that they deserved. Nursing three kids was not the easiest thing she'd managed to do with them, even though Ichirou had stopped that almost a year ago.

It wasn't that she didn't love her new children. She loved the hell out of them. She was just exhausted. Itachi wasn't enough to help her. Not with two of them. Sasuke had helped her with Ichirou, but that hadn't lasted too long before he got a nanny so they both could go on missions. The village needed them.

Sometimes she wondered how much Konoha needed her.

She took the time to look at her palm, the Leaf Village tattoo marked out by Orochimaru's kunai. She wanted to go back. But she wasn't sure if her life would be the same. Sakura would surely start some bullshit with her, and she couldn't handle all of that. She'd kill that bitch.

And Sasuke would neglect poor Yukiko, even though he didn't deserve it. And then the poor child would wonder why his father didn't want him, and then it would have to be explained that he and Setsuko had different fathers. No, one of these children would have a horrible life. She could feel it, and there was nothing that she could do to stop it. No matter how much love she gave, how much she cared or tried, one of her kids were going to be miserable without their father. She couldn't just give one of them up to their dads. No, she didn't have that in her. She would just have to stay here, and raise them on her own.

Maybe Itachi would stick around as well, and Uncle Itachi could be their father figure. But Ichirou already knew who his daddy was, and that would make him miserable.

She went outside, the twins and Ichirou all in bed. Itachi was reading his book on the couch, on official duty while Haru went to train.

The only time she got to meditate or train was at night, when all three children were asleep. It was rather convenient, despite losing sleep. She sat down in front of the spring she'd had the twins in three months before, closing her eyes. The cold air felt good on her skin.

This was her home, she knew that. She was free of heat strokes out here, in the snow. Her Kekkei Genkai was at its peak when surrounded by water and ice and snow. She could easily create blades from thin air now, a feat that she didn't conquer when she was in either Leaf or Sound Village.

She was powerful here, and she knew it. She could probably even take down the immortal Orochimaru here, at the peak of her power.

But she couldn't take out someone that she loved.

A tear slipped past her closed eyelids and smoothly slid down her cheek. A tear of stress, sadness, regret, and exhaustion. She didn't have it in her to do this alone anymore. She needed help. And at this point, she'd take it from anyone.

Her hand flew up suddenly, gripping the handle of a kunai knife that might have pierced her skull if she hadn't been quicker. Her brown eyes scanned the area, noticing two figures out in the distance, shadows dark against the moonlit snow.

Haru jumped up, spinning the kunai on one of her fingers. It had been awhile since she'd been in a real fight. Sparring with Itachi was getting boring to her now; she knew everything and anything about deflecting the Sharingan, even when it was Mangekyo.

She took off in a sprint, her cloak falling off of her and into the snow. She was in her full gear, food pills and weapons in her pouch on her legs. And let's not forget the snow that fell all around her. She didn't even need any weapons when she had that.

She jumped up, blindly taking a jab at her new opponents. One jumped out of her vision while the other blocked her attack. She twisted her body around quickly, kicking the second enemy in the side of the head, sending him flying.

The first tried to punch her, but Haru caught it and twisted, feeling the joints in his wrist coming out of their places. She noticed the ANBU masks, but didn't care to pay attention. They had better had a good reason for attacking her without reason, out in the open and not in their usual style.

The second came at her again, and Haru swung the one she held around and hit him with his comrade's body. She wasn't going to deal with this tonight.

The unused kunai stayed on her finger, twirling almost casually.

"So Konoha sent assassins after me, huh?" she growled. "I'm not surprised. I knew Naruto would stop trusting me eventually."

"Haru, wait!"

Wait, that was Naruto's voice. Haru dropped the kunai. Now she was going to be arrested for attacking the Hokage. Seemed everyone was against her.

Naruto removed his fox mask, rubbing the left side of his face. "I see you haven't lost your touch." He had that stupid grin plastered on his face.

"Yeah, I don't loosen up that easily," she said. "I assume you're either here to arrest me or kill me. ANBU don't just come out all this way for nothing."

"No, Haru, it's nothing like that at all." Hinata took off her owl mask. "Sasuke's MIA. He took off toward Oto two weeks ago, and no one can find him."

Instant instinct hit Haru in the gut. "Fuck." She took off toward the house. She had to get the twins. She had to warn Itachi. She had to get him to take them home.

"Haru, wait!" Naruto called, chasing after her.

"I'm not waiting!" she said, and burst through the door at high speed. She immediately ran into her room and began packing her necessary survival materials.

Itachi jumped off the couch and stared the Hokage and his wife in the face. He was ready to fight if he had to.

"What's going on here?" he asked, eyes resting on the Kyuubi. "You better have a good reason for coming all the way out here."

Naruto was just shocked that Itachi was still alive. He'd never known that the jutsu from Kabuto was still in effect, letting him walk around like he was a normal human being.

"Sasuke is gone," Hinata said, repeating herself. "He headed toward Oto almost two weeks ago, saying something about a compromise. He's not back yet and no one can find him or trace his chakra."

He looked back to the woman, who was frantically tearing apart her bedroom with the possibility of waking up the twins. She had jumped at the news, he knew. He could picture the look in her eyes right now, determined and hiding all the hurt and exhaustion she really felt. She loved him. She was going to find him and bring him home.

Haru was surprised that she could fit into her old ANBU uniform, even though she'd already lost most of the weight she'd gained during her pregnancy. Working out and starving yourself did that to you, she guessed. She began to tie her raccoon mask to her face, her long hair going into a high bun on her head.

"Itachi, take the twins to Uchiha Manor," she said. She looked to Naruto and Hinata. "Make sure that he's given full access to everything while he's there, and made comfortable. And make sure that my kids stay safe. If anything happen to any of them, I don't care if I'm made a traitor or not, I'll have your heads myself."

She went back into her bedroom and grabbed her pack, before lifting her mask just enough to be able to kiss all three of her kids on the forehead. She was ready to go. It was about time she got some excitement, anyway. Things were only just now getting good.

She left them without another word, not getting any more explanation from any of them and ignoring all protests. They knew what to do now. And now she knew what she had to do, too.

She had to find and save her husband from that nasty snake.

* * *

><p>They were both bloody. Both sweating. The Uchiha had taken the time to take on his Second State, which he hadn't had to use in years.<p>

It had taken him two and a half weeks, but Sasuke had finally found the Sannin that had managed to take his whole life away from him for a second time.

"This time I'm going to kill you for real," he'd said to the Sannin.

"Now, Sasuke, that's no way to greet the father of your stepson." Orochimaru had been smirking. He'd been waiting for Sasuke patiently the whole time. They'd both known that the day would come eventually. The day that they fought over her. Even if Sasuke would say it wasn't for her, they both knew the truth.

"I'm more of a father than you are," the Uchiha had spat, glaring at him.

"Oh? Then why aren't you being a father to both your son and your daughter?"

The fight had begun then. And now they were standing in front of each other, bleeding and breathing hard. They both were angry. The forest around them was mostly destroyed, smoke coming from several trees.

"Haru will always choose the right path," Sasuke breathed. "She's not a monster like you. She won't abandon her home."

"Her home is with me, Sasuke, I thought you knew that after all these years," Orochimaru replied, licking his lips. "She's just been on a vacation, that's all."

"She won't go with you!" His Sharingan began to change to Mangekyo. He was going to end this.

"She will, and all three of those children will come with me and be raised as my own."

Sasuke's fists clenched. No. Orochimaru would not be raising his son. Not Ichirou. Or Setsuko. If anything, Sasuke would be raising Yukiko as his own son. It didn't matter to him anymore. As long as he got his life back, he didn't care what he had to do to get it. If killing Orochimaru a second time was what he had to do, he didn't mind it.

"Sasuke!"

It was Kakashi, clad in ANBU garb. What was he doing here? Had Naruto really sent someone after him?

"Sasuke, there's word from the village!" he said, ignoring Orochimaru's presence. He'd been watching the battle for quite some time, and just wanted to get Sasuke out before the Sannin killed him. "Haru's on her way home, Sasuke! She and Itachi are bringing the kids! She's on her way here now, to come bring you home!"

Sasuke looked at the man with a frown on his face. "What?"

"Naruto and Hinata went to find her. She's coming home, she's worried about you."

That brought a smirk to the other Uchiha's face. Maybe he didn't need to fight with the Sannin after all. He'd made his point by now. His wife was coming home to him. She wasn't going to run to Orochimaru like he'd thought she would.

"Fuck you, Orochimaru," he said. "I'll fight you day and night if you please, but you heard Mr. Hatake. Haru is coming home. _Home_. To her husband, her friends, and her future."

The rage coming off of the Sannin was beautiful to Sasuke. Looked like he was in for a rough one. Kakashi agreed to help, but there wasn't going to be much that he could do. Orochimaru's chakra was growing at an unnatural rate, becoming darker by the moment.

The silver-haired man just hoped that Haru made it to Oto in time, before both the men she loved were dead.

Haru was eating food pills like they were candy. She hadn't stopped running since she'd found out where Sasuke was. Her adrenaline was through the roof, and jumping through the trees only made her high that much better.

She hoped that she got there before Orochimaru killed him. Or before Sasuke killed Orochimaru. Either way, she didn't think that she would be able to handle it. Those two needed her just as much as she needed them.

Sasuke was too lonely for his own good. He needed companionship deep down, to make him feel alive.

Orochimaru was just downright insane. He had an obsession with her and some major issues, but claimed to love her all the same. And they got along better than she and Sasuke did. They made love in a way that Haru didn't know was even possible. They could practically read each other's thoughts.

And she always hated what he was thinking. Then again, she hated everything about that man. But she still had to save him.

She still had to save them. For not just her sake, but for her children as well. She had to save them both. They had to find a way to work things out for the best. For the kids, not for them. It was time for all of them to stop being selfish, she realized that when she figured out where Sasuke was heading.

She knew him all too well. He was either going to compromise (which wasn't likely) or he was going to kill the snake-nin (also unlikely). She had to stop him before he got himself killed.

Or worse, actually succeeding in killing the Sannin once and for all.


	23. Chapter 23

**Hey, guys! Looks like this is going to come to a close soon, hopefully in the next chapter or two. I can't seem to come up with just the _perfect_ ending for this. Any opinions on how it ends can be left in reviews though :)**

**No flames, please, and thanks for reading!**

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><p>Sasuke knew what he had to do. He was going to have to go into his Second State, if he could. He hadn't needed to transform in the past five years. There hadn't been a reason to use it. But now that his curse mark was gone, he wasn't sure. But it was the only chance in hell he had to beat the Sannin.<p>

He took a deep breath. This fucker was going down. No matter what he had to do, he was going to make sure that he beat him. He'd traveled for three days and then searched the Land of Paddies up and down for two and a half weeks before he'd found him. It was time he died.

_Almost there_, Haru thought. She wasn't tired. There was no way Sasuke had found Orochimaru's place so quickly. It would take him a pretty long time to find the lair, as Orochimaru was excellent at hiding. Just like the damn snake that he was.

She felt another chakra signature behind her, and she reached for her weapon pouch. Surely no one was going to try and fight her now? She had more important things to take care of.

Itachi appeared beside her suddenly. Her eyes widened as she ran, jumping from tree to tree. "What the hell are you doing here?" she called.

Itachi dodged a limb and jumped again, keeping up with her pace easily. "I'm coming to help; the kids are in good hands, and I'm not letting you go alone."

"What about your brother?" she asked, doing a flip over a particularly thick limb. Surely he wasn't going to fight for her when there was a chance she'd have to fight Sasuke.

"I might have an obligation to protect my brother, Haru, but that doesn't mean it will be right." He glanced at her for only a moment. "I'm on your side, no matter what happens today."

She nodded once and sped up, knowing the eldest Uchiha was close behind her. She could see broken limbs beginning to appear in the trees ahead-Sasuke and Orochimaru had left a lot of damage in their wake. Great. That's exactly what was needed.

Kakashi had a kunai knife ready. He was on Sasuke's side until the end. If he wanted Haru back, hell or high water, Kakashi was going to help get her back.

"Do you really think she's going back to you?" the Sannin asked, eyeing the younger Uchiha with madness in his golden eyes. "She's not an idiot, Sasuke. She's going to choose me, eventually. If she wants to save Konoha, she'll come to me."

"You're the idiot, bastard," Sasuke snapped back. "She doesn't love you, and just because she got pregnant with your kid doesn't mean she ever will!"

"Oh, but she does love me." Orochimaru was smirking now. God, he really _had_ lost it now. "And she'll prove it when she gets here. You'll see."

Kakashi could feel Sasuke mustering up all the chakra he could. Strange and yet familiar markings were slowly emerging from under the skin, now only barely visible. No way… was Sasuke really remaking a curse mark that had disappeared eight years ago? There wasn't any possible way that he could do that. Not that he'd known of, anyway.

"You're both going to die here," Orochimaru said. "You couldn't kill me before, Sasuke, so why try now?"

"For my family." Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan shown bright in the Uchiha's eyes. "For Haru." His curse marks were more visible, and Kakashi almost flinched at how dark his chakra was becoming. He hadn't felt that since Sasuke had been on the Sannin's side. "Today is your last day on the planet."

Orochimaru was almost shocked. The young Uchiha had brought the curse mark back without Orochimaru having to mark him all over again. Now that was interesting. Must have something to do with that delicious Sharingan.

But he wasn't going to sit around and wait for Sasuke to go into his Second State. He lunged for an attack, one that would finish the Uchiha off for good, while he was off guard. Dishonorable way to die, really.

Even with his own Sharingan, Kakashi wasn't fast enough. He went to go move Sasuke out of the way, but he knew he was going to fail.

With a cold breeze, there was a sheet of ice in front of Sasuke and Orochimaru was knocked back about twenty feet, many ice senbon following after him. Haru jumped down from the trees, kunai in one hand and more ice senbon between the fingers of the other. She was panting heavily, and her face was covered in dirt. She hadn't stopped once on her journey to Oto.

Itachi jumped down beside her, and caught her arm when she stumbled. Now Kakashi was just confused. When had the older Uchiha come back to life?

"He's getting up, Haru," Itachi said quietly, pushing her back upright. "Don't get lazy on all of us now."

"Oh, shut up," she said with a dark laugh. "I've been doing this for a long time. I got this." She sprinted over to Sasuke, turning him toward her with a shove. Sasuke looked shocked to see her, but she didn't have time for that. "Remove the seal over my curse mark, Sasuke," she growled.

Her husband hesitated. "We don't have time for this!" she shouted. "In two point five seconds, he'll be attacking again!"

Sasuke nodded then, his hand going to Haru's shoulder. Even though her curse mark of Heaven was covered by her clothing, Sasuke knew exactly where it was. He'd once had one as well.

He broke the seal almost instantly, and Haru moved to block him from another of Orochimaru's attacks half a second later. She was faster than Sasuke remembered. Just how much had she been training while in her snowy hideaway?

The Sannin and kunuoichi were kunai to kunai. She was glaring hard at him. He was stronger than her, but this bastard wasn't going to take her husband down.

He however, was shocked, and jumped back to tilt his head at the woman curiously. Sasuke's curse marks were fully visible. He was ready to transform at the first opportunity.

"Haru, what the hell are you doing here?" he asked.

She looked at him with disdain. "I'm doing what I should have done a long time ago." She could feel her curse mark expanding. Grey and red marks began to engulf her body, moving down her long sleeves to cover her visible fingers, and her face. Her stomach, which was bare besides fishnet underarmor, shone bright with these markings as well. "I'm going to end all this misery for myself and the rest of the world."

"Then kill the man behind you," the Sannin growled. "He's the one making you miserable, Haru. Not I."

"You're the one causing all this pain." This wasn't going to be enough to stop him. But she couldn't take on her Second State. Not yet. She hadn't used that in a very long time. She honestly wasn't sure what the end result would be if she took on that form. "I was happy before you came along."

"But you _love_ me, Haru!" He was going to try and attack Sasuke again, but Sasuke blocked the attack before Haru could. At least he was getting stronger, then. That was a good thing.

"Itachi, Kakashi," Haru called, looking over her shoulder. "You might need to leave. This is going to get nasty."

As if on a cue, Orochimaru managed to punch Haru in the mouth, sending her flying. She was sure she hit a few trees on her way back, but that didn't matter. It wasn't going to phase her. Not with the power she felt running through her veins. She got up and quickly ran back, kunai in hand and heading for the Sannin's throat.

He caught her wrist as if it was nothing, a wide smirk on his face that scared the woman slightly. That mad look in his eyes… she'd only seen that once before.

"You're going to try and kill me again?" he asked. "I don't think that's going to work. You failed last time."

She jumped away before he could hit her again, frustration building. "This isn't like last time," she said coldly. "I'm not some weakling that you can boss around anymore. Your mind games won't work on me."

"Hah!" He laughed madly then. It sent a cold chill down Haru's spine. This wasn't safe anymore. Not at all. "I've drilled submission to me into your head for years. In the end, you'll do exactly as I say."

She couldn't take it anymore. She just couldn't. He wasn't right. She wasn't going to obey. "Which is exactly a month after you tell me to stay away from Sasuke, your prodigy, I started fucking him."

Dead silence all around them. She could hear Sasuke chuckling quietly, but that was in the distance. Orochimaru looked more than angry, more than crazy. But he wasn't out of it. He was extremely focused.

"Whether or not you did doesn't matter," he said after awhile. Itachi was getting tired of the distractions, however. "I know you love me, Haru. You told me every night when you were _fucking_ me."

Shit. Now that was just cold.

Itachi felt a cold breeze. There was more silence. Sasuke was no longer laughing. The older Uchiha wanted this to end.

Sasuke's hair grew longer, lightening starting at the roots and going down. It was changing into a light grayish color. His skin began to change as well, becoming darker. His eyes became much like his older brother's, black around the crimson of his Sharingan. Fingernails became claws.

"Shit," Itachi and Kakashi both said, and then looked at each other. The last time they'd met, Itachi had tried to kill the Jounin. Was he supposed to try now? Or was he supposed to fight alongside him?

"Sasuke, no!" Haru shouted, and Itachi was quick to turn around and look back at the three Shinobi. Seems Sasuke had tried to attack Orochimaru, and she'd… she'd blocked her husband's attack? There was a thick sheet of ice in front of her arm, Sasuke's fist going directly into it and cracking it slightly.

Sasuke was glaring down at her. She glared back, ice senbon ready in one hand. "What do you think you're doing?" he asked coldly. "Why are you defending him after what you just said?"

"I know where my loyalties lie," she spat, looking him up and down. "I'm going to do this myself." She jumped back a few feet to release herself from blocking Sasuke. She then turned to Orochimaru, her marks expanding over her skin. "I want you to die by my hands, whether I love you or not."

Orochimaru was poised to attack. And here he thought that she would stay loyal. But it seemed that letting her around that traitor in the first place had made her into one. And the Sannin didn't like traitors one bit. Hell, a quarter of his prisoners were traitors.

Sasuke moved around Haru and tried to move again, and she blocked the attack again. She almost felt like she was protecting him. But there was no way that could be. She just wanted to kill him herself, and she was going to. Sasuke wasn't going to get in her way.

When he tried to attack the Sannin a third time, Haru punched her husband in the mouth, sending him flying further than Orochimaru had sent her. Itachi sighed inwardly. This wasn't going to end well.

It was then Kakashi chose to attack, and came for Haru. Itachi quickly countered, restraining the man in a firm grip.

"This is her fight; don't interfere or I'll be forced to do something I don't want to."

"You're insane!" Kakashi shouted. "Don't you realize what she just did to your _brother_?"

Sasuke was already up and coming back, though, and Haru had went for Orochimaru. He was blocking all of her attacks, but not easily. She made sure that he was kept on his toes. It wasn't going to be easy to beat her, take her prisoner again. Not when she had so much will and power.

She felt herself beginning to go into her Second State. That wasn't something she wanted to have to do, but she didn't know if she could restrain it. Her body thirsted for the power, wanted to feel the curse mark take her over. Even though she felt like it wouldn't be her own hands taking the Sannin's life, she might have to resort to it.

He hit her one good time, again sending her flying, and then shouted, "Striking Shadow Snake!"

She managed to send a senbon through one of them, but not the other three. They coiled around her body quickly and squeezed. She was sure she felt a rib or two break, but didn't care.

Using her chakra, she broke free, hands going to make handsigns quickly. She had to act fast. She silently thanked the gods for her having a Kekkei Genkai and being able to use ice as she pleased, whether or not it was around.

"Hyōton: Haryū Mōko!"

She removed the lid from her water canteen, throwing it into the air. The water inside was already frozen anyway.

An ice tiger exploded from the canteen, snarling even though it wasn't a real animal. Its tail was composed of a few ice dragons, something of Haru's own special touch. She was going to use a few of her ice release techniques, because if she used any of the ones he'd taught her he'd be able to deflect.

Sasuke had his Chidori ready, and Haru let him go. There was no way she was going to get in the way of that thing again. It had almost killed her ten years ago when the two were sparring.

Kakashi managed to throw explosive tags, but Haru was more prepared than he thought. She used her Ice Dome to protect herself, and then went to attack him.

He had a Chidori ready as well, and his Sharingan was exposed. It seemed as though he knew she really wouldn't be that easy to beat.

Itachi knocked her out of the way. "Handle Orochimaru. I'm going to keep him away from the fight."

She nodded, inwardly cursing. Her tiger was going to be destroyed by that Chidori, she knew it. She shouldn't have wasted that chakra to create it. But it was a good distraction. Now she just had to figure out exactly how much space she would need.

She took on her Second State as she performed this jutsu. She was going to make sure that it was at its full potential. Even she'd almost killed Orochimaru the last time she'd used it. Even if she wasn't in her right mind.

Her hair lightened, which was common in most Second State transformations, but only to a blue color. There was no white or grey in it. Her skin turned copper, and she even grew strange whiskers on her face. Eyes going black, she blinked once and could feel her irises turning golden. Her vision went infrared. Ice formed at her feet and spread out wide just as Sasuke's Chidori landed on both her tiger and the Sannin, who hadn't been expecting it at all.

She knew it wasn't over. When the smoke began to clear, Sasuke's wings were now out of his back, their strange form looking like hands. Now he'd have to replace that ANBU gear. That wouldn't be cheap.

Haru shook her head. That wasn't something she needed to be worrying about. She concentrated, trying to pinpoint the Sannin's location, her ice expanding. The air was becoming thinner, colder. The wind was blowing hard.

She'd finally mastered it. Pulling water from nothing but thin air, in the middle of the woods. Taking the very humidity and forcing it into her will. At least it would be more powerful in this State.

Behind her, eh? Still concentrating, she went for a roundhouse kick, which he caught. And she'd been moving at lightning speed. Maybe soon he would transform, too. That way everyone could see what a monster she really was.

And maybe her heart would stop screaming to have mercy on him, that he could be spared. That everything would work out for all of them in the end.

But that part of her was gone now. She was no longer the merciful Haru, she could feel it. That's why she'd never liked Second State. Something about who she was changed completely. She abandoned everything she felt, and remembered only her goal.

And today that goal was to take down all of her problems, and Orochimaru was one of the main ones.

When the Sannin jumped away, she had a Certain-Kill Ice Spike waiting for him before he could land. With a smirk, he turned and managed to just barely dodge it. It was unfortunate, though, how every time he got close to the ground he was going to have to try and dodge again. She was going to destroy him this way. And her ice was still expanding. The only one she didn't have the upper hand on was Sasuke, who could fly.

And flew he did, because he knew what was going on. Damn Sharingan.

"Haru, get out of the way!" he shouted. "I'm going to get him!"

She jumped up to him and kicked him in the gut, followed by a few punches and then a kick to the face. This was her fight. Sasuke was the one in the way.

Her heart was screaming again. But Haru didn't care still. She would even take down Itachi if she had to.

She glanced at the older Uchiha then, ever curious of what he was up to. He was head to head with Kakashi, using Taijutsu and staying in the field she'd deliberately made so that they wouldn't be chopped into pieces. He was impressive. Might even be a decent opponent for real one day.

The snake made it out of her range, but only barely. She was still a good distance from him, but she was beginning to run to catch up. He was panting. Looked like he would need to shed this skin and have all-new strength.

"Mandara no Jin!"

Haru opened her mouth, letting free ten thousand snakes that were not green like Orochimaru's but instead black as ink. He smirked. These weren't like his snakes by any means. They were probably more deadly, as little tunnels of ice between them. What had she been working on in the almost year she'd been missing?

She was quick to move after her serpents, and soon they were all over him, holding onto him and freezing him quickly. She felt a chill run up her spine instead of down. The shouts in the back of her mind were distant. A familiar phantom took over her then, as always with her Second State.

Orochimaru noticed it first, as no one else was quick enough to realize. He'd seen it before, when Haru transformed for the first time when she was eleven years old. Too young to have such a power, he knew now. It was almost like this Haru was a missing piece that no one knew or saw or heard. No one except herself when she thought about the childhood she never had.

The rage within Haru stirred as she felt her emotions go out the window. Her heart was no longer shouting anything at all; the phantom had snuffed it out and made it go to sleep. No time to regret. No time to think. Only time to destroy.

What little bit of the rage this phantom of her soul had was accepted by Haru at a young age, when her parents had died. And it suffered, inside her mind and alone until Haru was just too exhausted to go on anymore. The phantom was her other half, or so it thought it was. But Orochimaru knew that it was the madness he'd caused her.

The merciless half of her, the half that had hated him for taking her away from her family and causing her so much pain. Guilt she couldn't handle. Rage she had no idea she'd had because she'd found a better way to filter it.

"Haru might have loved you," she said quietly. There were three senbon to the Sannin's throat. "But I don't. Not after you took my sister away from me."

Sasuke had been close enough to hear that, see the look in his wife's eyes. Is this how she'd coped? Making a personality for her long-dead brother? As if trying to kill Kakashi wasn't bad enough.

No wonder Haru always finished a fight quick. No wonder she only fought when she found it necessary, and didn't take the time to spar too long. The violence triggered something inside her. Rage. The same rage her brother had felt. And rage led to loneliness. Her brother had been lonely as well.

But her brother had died happy. But between watching Orochimaru's experiments, her twin's death, and then all the stress, Sasuke wasn't surprised. She was exhausted. And he'd seen it once before, during a fight. She'd talked in third person like that only once, when they were younger, and it had been brief. But this was just insane. She wasn't herself anymore.

"She's going to come back when I've destroyed all her stress," she told Orochimaru. She wasn't even aware that Sasuke was watching from a small distance. "I was even at peace before you came around. And she might love you, but she's never been good at decision making."

She could feel herself resisting. _No, I don't want to kill him_! She laughed at herself. _Defend both of them, love both of them… I'll make it work… it will work…_

"I'm not weak like her. I'll kill you and the monster you really are."

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><p><strong>I know it was a bad fight scene, sorry I haven't done one of those in awhile. But I still hope you enjoyed that cute little twist, seeing as there's still a lot of unexplained stuff that needs explaining. Like, for example, why Haru didn't kill Orochimaru when she'd had the chance. Turns out that was her "brother" doing so. So... Haru is crazy? Good deal on my end. <strong>


	24. Chapter 24

**Hey guys! If you haven't noticed yet, _I Hate Everything About You _is almost over. I hope you enjoy the next two chapters, even though they're a little confusing.**

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><p>Haru's mind was blank, minus the fact that she wanted Orochimaru dead. Dead like Haku. She wanted Kakashi dead, too. It was time to take her revenge on him as well. He would be next in line.<p>

Sasuke took his chance to kick her away from the Sannin, but not to protect him. Haru had to snap out of it. This wasn't her. Sure, Orochimaru was a monster and needed to die, but not when the real Haru had feelings for him. It had to be a choice that she made, not some crazy delusion of her dead brother.

She glared at him, golden snake eyes flashing with rage. "Why would you do that?" she asked. "I was about to kill him for the both of you!"

"This isn't you, Haru," Sasuke said, watching the Sannin in case of an attack; he was still shocked at what Haru had become. What he'd made her become. "I know you. This isn't something you want to do without hesitation. You'll regret it and cry later."

She laughed then, a laugh Sasuke had never heard before. And that was frightening to him. "Haru's asleep," she said with confidence. "And she needs it, too. Don't you understand what you two have put her through? Hell, what she's been doing to herself?"

It was then that Haru ripped off her sleeves, using her senbon to cut them. Long gashes ran across her wrists and up her forearms, disappearing. "You two are causing such a pain that she has to make herself feel physical pain just to take her mind off of it." She had a sad expression on her face. "She was happy, you know, Sasuke, when she married you. You both were living a normal life, the life of true Shinobi. You protected each other and your village. You had a child together that you both loved sincerely."

Her arms dropped at her sides, and her gaze lingered on Orochimaru. "That didn't stop the nightmares Haru had throughout her broken childhood. And her childhood was more broken than mine." She looked back at Sasuke. "You were there, Sasuke. You saw the things she saw. But imagine seeing them at a much younger age. She was too young to cope. And when she knew that I had died, her lost half that was left with her hometown, she had had enough. So I came along, and helped her." Eyes closing now. "I am there when Haru can't handle a fight, or when she's so exhausted that she can't go on.

"She restrained me when Orochimaru found us. I was just as scared as she was. I didn't want to see her suffer again." She sighed then, and lifted her senbon. "She restrained me again when I almost had Orochimaru with this jutsu. She had too much love for a man who had caused her so much pain for her entire life." She began to aim. "And as much as I'd like to save him, he needs to go away so that she can go back to normal. You two can continue to raise your family, and I can finally rest knowing that he's gone."

"Haru, don't be like this," he said. "I know you aren't crazy. You love him just as much as you love me. This isn't a battle you need to be fighting."

"Shut up!" Her eyes snapped to her husband. "I told you, she's sleeping. Well deserved rest. You didn't help her when things got rough, either. You were cold and distant to her, and she just took it like it was nothing. Only I know the pain and guilt she felt. How angry you were making her. You have no idea how much she misses you."

"You know she misses me, too, don't you, Haku?"

Orochimaru had shed his skin successfully, using Haru as a distraction. It had worked, and now he felt strong again. He could easily take on the two of them if it was necessary. "She's told me herself. You know it as well as I do."

"She might, but you're the cause of her pain and now I have to make it right!"

"Why don't you just go back to sleep yourself? She's a big girl who's managed to make it without you this whole time. She's been holding you down for a reason. She wants things done differently."

"The Second State makes her a different person." Itachi was behind the woman. "We've discussed it once or twice, how she always feels her brother's presence, and then her mind slows to a stop." His Sharingan was spinning at a very fast rate. Sasuke's was as well. Were they about to really stop Haru altogether, and let the fight ensue? "Sasuke, your wife's mind isn't gone. She just needs rest. Handling three children on your own is exhaustion on the mind, I assure you." He almost smirked. "She needs your help. Now do what I do."

They were going to restrain the Haku in Haru's mind, and let her fight with her own brain and body. It was clear to him now. Haru could easily deflect the Sharingan, but could she handle two users at once? And one with Eternal Mangekyou, at that?

It seemed that no, she could not. Sasuke just hoped that Orochimaru didn't use the opportunity to get away while the two brothers were in Haru's mind.

It had only taken about three seconds, but it had felt like hours to find Haru and wake her up. It was like her mind was like Naruto's had been all those years ago, with a large cage hidden somewhere. That's where Haru was, sleeping like a baby. Haku was there outside of it, like on guard. Itachi and Sasuke made sure to seal it away forever then. And maybe Sasuke could help her get rid of it forever instead of just having to reseal it eventually.

She stayed in her Second State, but the madness in her eyes was gone. At least the violence would be on her now. At least she could make her own decisions.

When it was over, Haru immediately attacked Orochimaru with a kick to the gut, and then began punching him everywhere her arms could reach. Ice followed her fists and froze him, her Kekkei Genkai more powerful in her Second State.

Orochimaru didn't get to block all of these attacks. And it was almost frightening to see her attack as if she still wasn't in her own state of mind.

She made a few handsigns and then blew on an open palm. A vicious snowstorm came out of her hand, in the Mist symbol, and surrounded the Sannin.

Sasuke looked to his brother. "Why are you helping me?" he asked.

"I'm not helping you at all, Sasuke," Itachi replied, looking to the woman fighting. "I'm helping her, like I promised I'd do."

"Shit!" they heard her shout, and Itachi was quick to catch her while she flew toward them. He'd hit her again. Sasuke looked toward the Sannin, who was covered in ice from head to toe.

"You're an idiot, Haru," he hissed, his golden eyes snapping to meet her brown ones. "Seems like you're going to have to be punished. I warned you not to go against me. And when this is over, I'm going to send you into a living hell."

No. He was going to take on his true form. He was going to turn into that snake monster and kill them all. Unless… she and Sasuke had worked together before, but their skills were different in the Second State. Everything changed when they were like this.

"Don't worry, though, love," the snake continued. "The children will live. It's only your husband and your whole entire village that will die. And that's only after I make sure you can't walk for a week."

She gulped, even in her Second State. He wasn't serious, was he? There was no way that he could… not when he had less than a month before he had to…

Wait…

"Orochimaru, whose body do you have?" she asked.

The man laughed. "I thought you'd never ask," he replied. "Surely you remember young Maya, my dear. She gave her body up to me willingly." He reached up and began to rip the skin from his face. Haru gasped. He was telling the truth.

Maya's face was pale and she had Orochimaru's eyes now. But Haru could still recognize it. Her hair just barely showed underneath the mask that was Orochimaru's body.

"And she's gone now, isn't she?" Haru asked quietly. Her darker skin began to recede. She felt almost guilty now that Maya was gone. Even though she'd never liked the bitch, she shouldn't have had to become the snake's vessel. She hadn't been powerful, really. She'd just been a pawn. Orochimaru was no stronger without her body.

"Totally, and completely gone," the Sannin replied. "I snuffed her out. Destroyed her, like I do all of them."

"Fucking monster," Sasuke growled. He was still in his Second State. Haru's eyes became normal as she looked to him. She was tired of this. She wasn't sure if she was supposed to pity Orochimaru or if she was supposed to mourn for the much-hated Maya. "She was only a few years older than us! She had a whole life ahead of her, you know!"

"But she wanted me more, just like our _Ha-ru_ does." He smirked at the woman with Maya's face and held out his hand. "Come, love. All will be forgiven if you just come with me. We can go get our children tomorrow."

"No," she said. She couldn't do that to Sasuke. Her husband. She couldn't do it to the kids, either. Or Itachi. Konoha needed her, too. There were things that only she could do there. Things that only she was qualified to do. "I can't go back to that darkness for a third time in my life. I can't go back there, Orochimaru. I can't handle it."

The smirk on his face disappeared. "Well, I suppose there's no other way to do it, then."

She started to get dizzy, and she tried to release the Genjutsu. But… it wasn't working. She felt herself begin to fall. This wasn't a Genjutsu at all.

She looked down to her stomach where Orochimaru had punched her just a few minutes ago. There was a hole there, above her navel. It was barely visible and not bleeding.

"Poison?" She looked to the now-blurry, multiple-headed Orochimaru. "You poisoned… me?"

"Just sleep, Haru. It will be over soon."

She saw the sky, but she didn't hit the ground. She saw Itachi's face then, and felt him kiss her forehead. But it was just barely. She still saw his eyes, though. "I'm going to protect you," she heard him say. "No matter what happens, Haru, you're going to see me again. I promise."

"Okay… Itachi… I…" She couldn't finish. She was asleep now, and everything melted away, including her stress. She didn't care what those stupid boys did anymore. She needed to rest.

_Haku was there, inviting her to bed and scooting over for her. She gladly obliged and embraced him, before falling asleep with her brother like they had when they were kids. _

"_It's going to be all right, I suppose," Haku told her. "Even though we're sealed away for now, we will be able to figure it out later."_

"_Yeah." The drugs were making her sleepiness worse. The more she thought, the worse it got._


	25. Chapter 25

**Here it is guys. The end. I've had a lot of fun writing this, and I really didn't expect to end it like this. I doubt highly that there will be a sequel. At least, not until I'm done with my new fic, _Silent Hill_. **

**Anyway, no flames but I hope that you all enjoy!**

* * *

><p>The nightmares began to flood her when she woke up in Orochimaru's room.<p>

"He's dead, Haru." His golden eyes glinted cruelly at her. He had his own face again, and not poor Maya's. "I killed both of your precious Uchiha brothers."

"No," she said quietly, and tried to squirm. Chakra seals. Chains with curses attached to them. She was trapped there. There was no way she could get out. "No!" Her voice got a little louder. Not Sasuke… not Itachi… no… no…

Her legs were free, but it didn't matter much anymore. She began to cry, moving her head to the side in a pathetic attempt to hide her tears from him. She bit her lip. There was no way he'd beat them both. Itachi was near-godlike in his full strength, and Sasuke had beat him once before. There was no way they were both dead…

"I'm sorry I poisoned you," he said quietly. "I hated to do that to you. But it was obvious that I wouldn't have made it if you were still fighting." His face was too close to hers. She found the hate in her heart building. Hate for this sad excuse for a man. The love was far from gone, but the hate would have taken his breath away if he could feel it. Everything about him was an abomination.

And their poor child would know no better if he was trapped in this place with her. Seems as though now she'd have to abandon them, too. Unless Naruto took them, which she knew he'd be more than happy to do. He wouldn't let anyone else suffer the way he'd had to.

"Let me go." Her voice was meant to be louder, but for some reason all she could do was whisper. Her husband was dead.. Sasuke was dead… and Itachi, too. They were dead because they'd been fighting for her.

They should have let Haku finish off Orochimaru. They'd been stupid, thinking that Haku didn't know what was best for her.

"I'm afraid I can't do that yet," he said quietly, and then loomed over her. "I promised you a punishment, I'm afraid, and I still intend to give it to you before I send you back to kill everyone in that pathetic little village of yours."

It was then that her clothes somehow disappeared without a trace. Or maybe he'd taken them off before she woke up. She really wasn't sure anymore. All she knew was that her own tears were blinding her as she silently mourned over the two men who'd died protecting her, which was more than Orochimaru had ever done. Sick bastard. Sick, twisted bastard.

The fangs in her skin burned. He was biting her jaw and shoulders, neck and chest. He was drawing blood. His fingers buried themselves deep inside, forcing her arousal. She used her legs to back away the best she could, but it was no use. He had more control. He had total control of her and he knew it.

His lips touched the shell of her ear. "I love you," he whispered slowly. "I killed them so we could be together. I killed them so they could get out of our way."

"You killed them because you're selfish," she whispered back, her eyes opening. She still couldn't see for the tears. "If you loved me you would have let me be happy."

"They had to die in order for you to be happy, Haru." He wasn't biting anymore, but licking, exploring her body. She knew she was wet and enjoying this, but still chose to flinch away. "I had to do it for _us_."

"No," she said. "No, not for us. They didn't have to die… Sasuke and Itachi…"

It was only half a second later that he decided to sit up and shove himself inside her suddenly. She yelped and backed away, feeling a sudden pain in her lower body. He'd hurt her just then. Holy shit, that had hurt.

He moaned loudly at her muscles aching around him. He hoped secretly that he'd made her bleed a little. "I had to kill them both." The gleam in his eyes was an angry one. "It was bad enough that you'd married one of them. But I saw the way you looked at Itachi." He moved a little inside her. He barely had room, but he'd manage. "I know you wanted him, and I couldn't have that."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Haru had actually had plans to hook him up with a decent Shinobi from Mist. "I didn't want Itachi like that."

"You're a bad liar," he hissed, coming close to her. God, she was in pain. Every time he moved just a little it was painful. He pulled out slightly and shoved back in, making her cry out. "Every man you've ever looked at like that, I see. And I'll kill them all. That way the only person you can think of that way is me."

More tears. He was off his rocker. For real this time.

"Stop," she cried. "Orochimaru, that hurts!"

He moved out again, and quickly back inside, biting his lips at how good she felt. "This is punishment, after all, Haru," he said to her. "Don't worry, I promise you'll get used to it soon enough."

No, his violations were new every day. He left new hickeys and bruises every day, made her bleed every day. He wouldn't kiss her, though. No, that seemed like it was forbidden.

The pain was too much for her. She wanted to die. And Haku was nowhere to be found when she got to sleep. The only thing she could dream about was Orochimaru inside her. How the pain began to become pleasurable before it was over. The way he forced himself down her throat when she tried to bite. The way something hot and sticky coated her body when he was done with her…

There were no windows here. Only a bed. He would bring her water, but no food. She wasn't hungry, though. She just wanted to get up and move around.

The only time she got to move around was when he was moving her into a new position.

* * *

><p>She wasn't sure how much time passed when he finally unchained her, taking her hand and letting her sit up. She didn't move, though. It could have been a trap. There was no telling what he would do if she made one wrong move.<p>

He looked sad, though. He looked very sad. "I'm sorry, Haru." He moved to embrace her, and his eyes darkened when he saw her flinch. "Please don't be afraid of me anymore. I won't do anything."

She was hesitant before she moved into his arms, though. She didn't feel any fear or sadness or even mourning for her husband. She felt blank. He usually only raped her and then left, maybe coming back for some water or to bathe her. And bathing her meant more sex, usually. She didn't understand where this was coming from.

He felt warm, his hands gently pulling her naked body into his lap. She didn't want to touch him with her hands, but she felt like she had to. It felt like the right thing to do.

"I've hurt you terribly," he said. "I'm going to let you go soon; I just want you one more time."

The way he touched her was unfamiliar to her, and she was so out of it that she didn't understand. For what felt like an eternity, he'd been forcing her into submission, causing her pain. And now he was trying to coax her, trying to be gentle. It wasn't like anything she'd ever felt before. At least… not from him.

Sasuke had been gentle a few times, but he always liked things a little rough around the edges. And she'd been fine with it. She just wasn't sure about this. His touch left goosebumps in their wake, and she found herself enjoying it more than she'd enjoyed anything in her life.

"I want you to say my name," he said quietly, lips moving to her skin. "Please, Haru, say my name."

"Why?"

She hadn't heard her own voice in awhile, minus the crying and yelling. She was almost surprised at what she sounded like.

Her blank eyes stared at him. When in his lap she was almost at eye level with him. He still looked so sad. Why did he look like that? "As my last wish, Haru, say my name. Let this one time be like it used to be. Before the battle with the Uchiha brothers."

Last wish? What the hell was the Sannin talking about? He was immortal. There was no one left who could kill him. Not now that Sasuke and Itachi were gone…

"What are you talking about?" She had to clear her throat for that one.

He shook his head, his hand gently touching her face. "You'll see later, Haru. Now do this for me, I'm begging you."

He kissed the woman then, and it sent an electric shock through her body. Everything was forgotten. Everything was okay again. She groaned and entangled her fingers in his hair, body moving to be closer to his in every way she could muster.

She wasn't sure how long it was before he was actually inside her. But it had taken a long time. They had explored every inch of each other, scratching here and kissing there, just to see what reaction they could get. It was more than she had ever done with Sasuke.

She was soaking the sheets. When Orochimaru had filled her to the hilt, she came on the spot, back arching and toes curling. The pain was gone. There was nothing but pleasure. Fireworks shot behind her eyelids.

"Say it," he said in her ear, unmoving. She was on top of him once more, bodies melded together on the bed. "I want you to say it."

She looked at him then. His eyes were still sad, and they hadn't changed the whole time. Why on earth did he look this way? How could he be sad when he was doing this with her?

"I love you, Orochimaru."

He wasn't sad anymore. Instead he smirked like he always did, running a hand through his hair before moving his hips up just slightly. Both of his hands went to her body.

"I love you, too, Haru. Forever. Even though I hate everything you've become."

"I hate everything you are, too."

She wasn't sure what they'd exchanged, but she didn't care. They made love then, real love. And it went on for the entire night. Or the entire day. She wasn't sure what time it was.

* * *

><p>"I wonder when she's going to wake up."<p>

The voice was in the distance, and she didn't care for it much. Or maybe Orochimaru was talking to himself.

"The poison takes a long time to get out of the system. It's just a good thing that he got her here when he did."

Poison? Orochimaru had poisoned her again? Gah, what a dick. She knew something hadn't felt right when he bit her on her curse mark before she went to sleep.

That didn't explain where she was, though. She opened one eye curiously.

It was brighter than she was used to, and she quickly closed he eye again. She had no idea where she was. That damn snake got some new lights. Great.

But that didn't explain how they knew she was poisoned.

"Speaking of which, is he coming back or what?" the first voice asked. "I know he went to check on the kids, but I mean really."

Kids? Her kids!? Yukiko, Setsuko, and Ichirou? They were alright? Was Orochimaru going to get them? How long had it been since she'd seen her kids?

"Wait-" she said quietly. "Wait for me, Orochi-"

"She's talking!" the second voice said excitedly. "Send for Itachi now!"

Itachi? Itachi was dead. Orochimaru had killed him. And had rubbed it in her face while he raped her. And Sasuke was gone, too…

Sasuke…

"_Dattebayo!_"

Where had that come from? That sounded a lot like the seventh Hokage of Konohagakure. Oh, god, had Orochimaru poisoned her and sent her here undercover without her knowing about it? She guessed it was a good strategy, but _damn_. Warning was good as far as Haru was concerned.

She tried opening her eyes again, and shielded her eyes quickly. Hm. She wasn't chained up anymore. That was a nice touch.

Tsunade was the first person she found. "You've been out for almost a week, Haru," she said sternly. "Good thing Itachi brought you home or you'd be in big trouble."

"What the fuck are you talking about?' Haru tried to sit up, and fell back from dizziness. "Where's Orochimaru, anyway? Why did he send me here?"

"Orochimaru?" Tsunade raised an eyebrow. "He's dead, Haru."

"Dead?" Haru's eyes widened then. Had she been dreaming for a week straight about this, then? Had she really only subconsciously become a zombie who knew nothing but Orochimaru's touch? "What do you mean he's dead?"

"After you passed out, Itachi brought you here to the village while Sasuke fought him off."

She felt a heartbeat in her ears. "Where is Sasuke?"

"Sasuke is searching Orochimaru's hideout, making sure that there's no way he can come back."

Haru sat up a little more slowly. Orochimaru was dead… he was really gone this time? What if he came back when Haru was almost forty?

"We burned the remains." Haru's eyes widened at her friend's statement. "There's no way he's coming back this time, we are double checking."

"What all have you found so far?" Haru asked in response.

"Nothing except what you've told us," Tsunade replied. "He'd planned on destroying the village after he got you on his side, just as you said. He had an army and an elite force of Shinobi behind him as well."

"Told you guys." God, she had cottonmouth. "Crazy bastard wanted to take over the world."

"Oh, so the new Otokage is awake," she heard a familiar voice say. When she looked toward the door and saw Itachi there, she could have cried. He came toward the bed and she almost ripped her IV out hugging him. "Hey, hey, you haven't had a bath in probably three days. Calm down."

She laughed then, and he slightly chuckled with her. "Where are my kids?" she asked after a moment.

"They're at the house with the nannies, waiting on you."

"Nannies?"

"Sasuke had to hire another one. Seems he's not champions at childcare like you and I."

They had to laugh again then. "So what happened after I was poisoned?"

Itachi sighed. "Well, I kept your body out of the way, even though you tried to freeze me once or twice. You even kicked at me when I sat you down to put my cloak around you to keep you warm." He smirked. "I'm not sure what you were dreaming about, but you didn't like it."

She looked down at her hands, opening her palms. The scar over her Konoha symbol was still strong, and there was now a faint scratch over her Mist tattoo. How had that gotten there?

She'd dreamed the whole thing. Orochimaru had actually died, and Sasuke and Itachi had lived. Somehow she should have felt better, but she really didn't. She wanted to crawl into a hole and cry for the rest of eternity.

"Sasuke and I brought you back together when it was over," he continued. "Well, I technically brought the both of you back. Sasuke could barely walk and then slept for sixteen hours."

"Well, I think I've beat his record." She faked her laugh then. Orochimaru was dead. And just last night he'd been making love to her. Just last night…

She looked at her arms then. The scars from her cutting were still there. There were no bite marks, though, and they'd been there last night. Was it really so vivid that she'd thought it was real?

"I'm sorry, Haru." Tsunade put a hand on the woman's shoulder. "Orochimaru left you with much responsibility, but you'll be fine."

"Responsibility?" she asked, looking up at the woman and raising an eyebrow. "If you mean our kid, you got that right. I can only imagine how much of a handful Yukiko will be when he gets about eight or nine…"

"No, didn't you hear me?" Itachi asked. Tsunade seemed shocked. He's talked more to Haru then he's talked to anyone else in a whole week. "You're the new Otokage. It was left in his will that you take his place."

"Wait, wait, _excuse_ me!?"

* * *

><p>Oh, she could get used to this.<p>

All the riches of Otogakure, all to herself. Well, and to the kids.

The house was nice when it wasn't underground, to Haru's surprise. They were working on the remodeling now. She'd signed a peace treaty with Konoha before she'd left to go home for her formal ceremonies and such. The people of Oto were happy to have her, even though she had some things to worry about with the Shinobi there. They weren't living the proper ninja way. The way of Konoha. The right way, teaching kids to love each other and not to abuse power but use it to protect the people who matter the most. She just hoped her kids understood that as well.

Now she was in her favorite bathtub with the glass ceiling above, looking up at the stars. The kids were with Itachi on the other side of the house. Seemed he enjoyed them a lot.

She felt her lower stomach. She was four months along with more twins, and she swore up and down that this was the last time she was going to do such a thing. This child-bearing thing was too much for her.

But at least she got to do and say whatever she wanted while she was pregnant and blame it on hormones. She smiled at the thought, her giant bathtub steaming up the ceiling and bubbles spilling over.

She'd been the Otokage for almost a year, and it was hard to believe that Setsuko and Yukiko were going to be one this year as well. And she was going to have two more kids.

She did sometimes miss Konoha, though. But she could go visit whenever she had the time, and they were just as welcome. It was peaceful between the two countries now, and Konoha was helping with the economy. Everything was getting better for everyone.

There was a soft knock on the door. "Yeah?" she called, rinsing her hair. "Is it important?"

"I'd like to join you," the voice on the other side purred.

Haru blushed. "Come on in," she said, and watched as the door open.

The man before her undressed after closing the door, and caused more bubbles to spill out when he joined her in the larger bathtub she'd had installed. She'd always wanted a tub for two, and now she had it.

He pulled Haru into his lap. "How are you feeling today?"

She was still blushing, but she shrugged and hoped he wouldn't notice. "I feel fine," she replied. "How was the mission? Is Hinata's baby cute?"

He laughed. "Yes, even though he looks just like the dobe, he's getting bigger every day. And he's going to have that Byakugan, too."

"I could have told you that one."

Sasuke laughed and kissed her. "Where's Ichirou and the others?"

"Itachi has them on the other side of the house, about to put them to bed." It was his turn, anyway. They had three-day cycles on who put them to bed. At least they all slept through the night, though.

"Well, aren't we lucky? Even though you seem to be shy tonight." He moved a stray hair from her face, keeping his eyes on hers. "Your blush is getting darker every time I talk to you."

"Sorry," she mumbled in response. "I can't… I can't help it…"

He kissed her neck. "It's okay," he told her. "I like it when you're shy to me. Makes your face all the more beautiful with that blush."

She wasn't used to being this shy all the time. But the medication she was on to keep Haku at bay did that to her. She could still kick some major ass if she wanted to, but she did it without her twin brother. But it had changed a lot of things about her. She would blush like crazy when Sasuke flirted with her, or see her naked, or even kiss her. She was reminding herself of Hinata.

He turned her toward the full-view mirror across the room and smirked, looking at their reflection as he licked her jaw. "See?" he asked.

She pulled off him. "You're dirty," she joked. "You're not going to get any with that attitude."

"Please." He came forward and began to shower her with wet kisses, making her laugh.

"Seriously, let's go say goodnight to the kids," she told him, and went to pull the drain. "I feel like I never get to see them."

"You see them every night, every morning, and even in the afternoons. You do all your work from home so you can see them." He was holding onto her now, still kissing her while he replaced the stopper. "Stay with me for just a little while."

"Sasuke…"

"I'm serious. Itachi's got this." He smirked against her skin. "If you want me to be honest with you, I already knew he was putting them to bed because I asked him to. I wanted to spend some time with you."

She was so shocked that she didn't protest anymore.

* * *

><p>She lay against his chest, in their large bed. They'd replaced the one Orochimaru had had in here. Hell, they'd replaced most of the furniture. It brought back too many memories for the both of them.<p>

It was finally over. She still went to bed at night surprised. Orochimaru was gone and this was her house, her village. She'd taken up some of his research, and kept his research on immortality locked away. She learned new jutsu for both Sound ninja and herself. She had a picture of him in the library as well. Sasuke didn't like it, but he knew she meant well.

He'd been her teacher, her mentor. At one time, her lover. He was the father of one of her beautiful sons. Yukiko and Setsuko both resembled her a great deal, and they were both black-haired. The only difference between those two was the eyes. Yukiko's eyes were snakelike and gold, like his father. But they were much kinder, and not bloodthirsty or power hungry. Setsuko had brown eyes, but they looked black in the shadows.

Neither showed signs of Sharingan yet, and Ichirou had stopped using his almost completely. It was like he understood that he didn't need to use it all the time. And he was only two years old. Sasuke and Itachi agreed that they'd train him when he was old enough to handle the real Sharingan.

Sasuke's hand rested on her stomach, and he turned over toward her, letting her head fall onto his arm beneath her. She sighed. One thing hadn't changed, and that was Sasuke's habit of tossing and turning in his sleep.

"I love you," he whispered. He was asleep, for sure, because she could barely understand him. But she smiled anyway and kissed his collarbone.

"Love you too, Sasuke." She curled up closer to him.

The man she hated everything about was gone. But she still did love him. She didn't think she'd ever stop loving him now. Not after what they'd been through together. Even if he was dead.

He had been selfish. He was self-absorbed. Obsessive, maniacal and a sadist. He had been cruel and even rude at times. He kept her prisoner and had almost destroyed her sanity. And he was almost more powerful than her.

All of these things she had and still hated about Orcohimaru. So why had she (and still did on this very night while she lay with her husband) loved him? Why would she love someone she hated everything about?

She sighed again. It was over. It was time to move on and forget.

Even though something felt strange. Sometimes, when she was alone, she swore she could feel Orochimaru's chakra, even though he was for sure dead. And it wasn't Yukiko. No, it was closer. Sometimes it almost felt like he was inside of her, waiting patiently for something to happen.

She would usually shake it off, though. There was no way he could come back this time. They'd destroyed every part of his remains, even parts of his tissue that were in the lab. The only thing left was Yukiko, and he was too sweet to be the spawn of Satan.

Nope, Haru wasn't worried at all. She would just keep shaking off these weird feelings, and everything would be good to go. These were her last kids, and she should be excited about that. Five would be plenty. That would be four new Uchihas for Sasuke's rebuilding of the clan. And she was trying to convince Itachi to go on a date with a quite powerful Shinobi from Sound she knew. But he wasn't interested. Seemed some things never changed.

That feeling again. She sat up and looked about the room. Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Orochimaru wasn't here.

_He's dead, you idiot_, she told herself. _It's been too long. You need to stop this nonsense._

As if on a cue, she felt something in her stomach stir. She smied as she placed her hands on her preggo belly. They were moving.

She laid back down and yawned, shaking off the strange chill down her spine. She was just imagining that chakra signature.

A few minutes later she was snoring, and the only ones tbat could hear her were inside her. Growing. Growing beside one another, hands outstretched as if they were reaching for each other.

But one wasn't. He was just resting because she was resting. And to think she was ignoring his messages when he listened to her every whim.

He was only gone in body, but not in soul. Even though that wouldn't last too long either. All he'd done was wait. Wait for her next unborn child to be conceived. And then he took the opportunity to take the body for his own Now he could be a part of her in body and soul. And when he was strong enough again, he would reveal himself to her.

_Goodnight, my Ha-ru._

* * *

><p><strong>There you go. It's finally over. And if you think a sequel is necessary, you should probably let me know and I'll consider. I'd like to, but that would be crazy! Awesome, but crazy. Anway, please R&amp;R! For those of you keeping up with this story, I hope you've enjoyed it as much as I have!<strong>


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